


If you had asked me to stay.

by SqueegeeBecksXo



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: AA, AU, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Cheating, Childhood Trauma, F/F, F/M, Flashback, Flashbacks, Healing, Love, Pregnancy, Self-Harm, Slow Burn, Smut, So much angst, Tags May Change, bughead - Freeform, i don't apologize at all
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-17
Updated: 2018-09-16
Packaged: 2019-05-24 13:09:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 73,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14955285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SqueegeeBecksXo/pseuds/SqueegeeBecksXo
Summary: They say love can heal all wounds, however, for Betty Copper and Jughead Jones that just isn't the case. When Betty comes back to town will she be able to find the closure she's so desperately needed for so long? Will Jughead ever be able to move on from the mistakes of his past and finally let the one person who's been dying to break down his walls in? Will these two almost high school sweethearts be able to finally admit what everyone has known all along?When a wedding brings Betty and Veronica back to Riverdale, it's clear that so much and so little has changed. Love isn't what heals these wounds; truth is.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I am so excited to FINALLY be posting this fic. I have been working on this for the last month or so. The initial goal was to wait until it was completed to post it, but I am way to impatient for that. 
> 
> Just a few notes. 
> 
> There are A LOT of flashbacks in this fic. I'm using flashbacks to the past to help tell the story. There will be mention of abuse, self harm, alcoholism, and cheating, which are all in the tags. My goal for this fic was to take all the murder and over-dramatics out of Riverdale and see what happens when we have characters, dealing with real life issues, and what that might look like. This is an AU fic, obviously and very angsty. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. 
> 
> I really hope you guys enjoy this fic. I have about 6 chapter written so far and I plan on posting a new chapter, after I've written another one, so I always have something to post and motivation to write. 
> 
> Please leave a comment and tell me what you think! You can also find me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!

 

Three weeks ago, an invitation to Jughead Jones photo gallery exhibition came in the mail in a plain white envelope addressed to one Betty Cooper, no return address. Since that day, it has remained hidden, placed between two random pages in Betty’s pastel pink journal, only to be taken out and read over and over again at night, after she was tucked away in bed. Now, with said journal tucked between two identical pairs of denim jeans in her old suitcase, Betty can’t help but notice how much heavier it suddenly feels. 

In three short hours she will be back in her hometown of Riverdale, New York, a place she’d happily never visit again if it wasn’t for the wedding of Cheryl Blossom, a friend Betty once kept securely in the close category, and Toni Topaz, a girl who, as Cheryl puts it, stole Cheryl’s heart the moment she laid eyes on her. It was going to be the wedding of all weddings, planned by Betty’s very own best friend and roommate Veronica lodge. 

The two of them were blowing into town a whole three weeks before the wedding to help with last minute details. If it wasn’t for the wedding, for the fact that Veronica was the planner and insisted she needed Betty’s help, she might not have even thought twice about attending Jughead’s opening. As it were though, she would be back in Riverdale three days before the date on the invitation, only one town over from where it would be held. The thought of whether or not to attend had been weighing heavy on her ever since the envelope appeared in her mailbox. 

“Elizabeth Cooper so help me if we are late getting on the freeway-” 

“I’m coming Veronica. Relax.” Betty calls out to her high strung best friend. 

Veronica Lodge has been Betty’s best friend forever since the day she walked into Pop Tates, black cloak floating behind her in a flourish more akin to a gothic villain than a 15 year old girl. The two of them bonded instantly over milkshakes and a shared love for trashy rom-coms. Three weeks later, when Veronica and Archie Andrews, the boy who lived next store and one of now three of Betty’s best friends, went into the closet at Cheryl’s homecoming after party as friends, and came out holding hands, the purple lipstick on Veronica’s face smeared, she became a permanent fixture in their friend group, turning the trio that was Betty, Jughead, and Archie, into a foursome, perfectly filing a booth at Pop’s. 

As Betty loads her heavy suitcase into Veronica’s black Volvo S90, a car she leased not even a month ago, one Betty is almost sure was an impulse buy, she can’t help but notice the nervous energy radiating from her. An odd thing to see given Veronica’s usual calm and collective demeanor. 

“If we’re lucky, maybe we won’t even run into him. I mean I know Riverdale isn’t very big, but still, if we’re lucky.” She’s says to Veronica as she closes the lid to the trunk. 

Betty knows it’s a long shot. Riverdale, a town with a total population of around 25,000, was not the place you easily avoided running into someone you didn’t want to see. In fact, she’d venture to say it’s the exact place for the opposite to happen, with there being only one grocery store, one main diner, and just simply one of everything. However, having been the only person to bare witness to what Betty will forever remember as Veronica’s dark period, a depression so deep at one point Veronica didn’t get out of bed for five days straight, that started the day the girls packed up Veronica’s old Ford Focus, heading due South, and lasting well into their final semester as Freshman at Columbia, she thinks there’s no harm in hoping, wishing, at least for her best friends sake. 

“He’s invited to, and has RSVP’d as attending, the wedding Betty, pretty hard to avoid. I don’t want to talk about that though. There’s still so much to do and go over. Do you know that Cheryl has changed her mind about the cake again. That’s the 6th time. I told her this time better stick or she’s not getting any cake at all. Her and Toni can cut a cardboard cut out of a cake and call it day.” Veronica replies back over the roof of the car.  

“I would say I told you so, but I think last week, when Cheryl added another 100 guests and made you change the venue for the third time you truly felt the full weight of what you took on.” 

Veronica shoots Betty a pointed look, her already razor sharp eyebrow arching impossibly high. “I’m a masochist, I’m well aware. This is why though, our presence is needed there as soon as possible. If I could have gotten coverage at the boutique for last week I would have already been there.” 

Junior year of college Veronica walked into their shared dorm room and declared she was dropping out, that she knew what she wanted and how to get it, and she refused to waste anymore money on school. A year later, B&V’s Boutique, a name Betty only agreed on after Veronica explained it simply sounded cute and she would have nothing to do with the business, was up and running and flourishing. She had used the money her father, a man who was in prison for 25 to life do to his involvement in the mafia,  _ yes the mafia _ , had left in her trust fund. 

“Is your mom excited to see you?” Betty says, wanting to gear the conversation away from the topic of Cheryl’s wedding. 

“She’s over the moon. Even more so because you’re coming with me.” Veronica replies, placing a loving hand on Betty’s knee. It’s like she knows that Betty too is feeling the weight of trip, the long list of people she knew would be unavoidable for such a long period of time, floating around in her overthinking mind. 

“I’m excited to see her too.” Betty replies with a smile. 

“Like you said B, maybe we won’t even run into them.” Them. The collective of people in each of their lives that they left behind that rainy day almost exactly five years ago. 

Betty smiles in response, willing her brain not to go there, as she slides into the passenger seat. For the last five years Betty has worked hard to build a life for herself in Manhattan with Veronica by her side. After finishing up school at Columbia with a bachelor's degree in journalism, she got a job at an online news magazine nearly right away. It isn’t the dream she had always had for herself, but it pays good and now a year and some change into the job, she has more freedom to write about the things she cares about. 

“Let’s just turn up the tunes and try to enjoy the ride.” Veronica says, pulling out onto the street and Betty does just that. 

As the sounds of Tracy Chapman’s  _ Fast Car _ fill her ears and start to soothe her senses Betty leans her head against the window watching the world around her begin to blur as they drive by. Try as she might, she can’t stop the wheels in her brain from thinking about what this long month might entail. 

______________________

Jughead sits at his computer, in his loft style apartment, in downtown Riverdale. In two days he will make his gallery debut, showcasing a work of art he’s spent the last two years of his life on. Photographs of the people he loves, the people he had made a family out of, the people who saved him from the brink on insanity. This project is meant to shed a new light on what it means to be part of a gang when you live in a small town, divided into two halves, and how it might not be what the rest of the world thinks. 

He’s going over the chosen photographs, the same ones he’s gone over at least a dozen times in the past three weeks, making sure everything is in order. Tonight they will be printed and mounted on giant canvas’s, and put on display for all to see, judge, and pick apart. He never meant for his work to viewed this way, but when The Centerville School of Arts Museum basically begged him not once, not twice, but five times to showcase his work for their photo documentary series, he figured why not. 

For the last two years he has dedicated his life to capturing the lives of others with his camera. What started out as a hobby, quickly changed shape, taking the form of a passion project. By the time he was done he had well over 10,000 photographs, documenting the lives of people who wore the insignia of a green serpent on their backs and on their skin. The same one his father once wore, the same one he once wore as well, and still wears, as a faded house tattoo on his upper right bicep. 

Of course, passion projects don’t always pay the bills, so when he isn’t behind the camera, he is behind the counter at Pop’s. It started out as a part time gig, but when Pop Tate fell ill, and then needed a hip replacement, he all but gave Jughead the place, putting him in charge of nearly everything. 

A knock at the door, followed by Toni Topaz entering, breaks Jughead’s focus. It’s not unusual for the girl who, over the years, has become one of his best friends, to just enter without waiting to be invited in. He’s just happy that after the time she walked in on him standing naked in his living room last summer when the air in his building broke and he was just desperate for some kind of relief that she started adding a warning knock before entering. 

“Jones, please don’t tell me that three days before your big show you are still going over what photos you are going to use.” She says, grabbing a bag of chips out of his cabinet before coming to sit next to him on the armchair next to his desk. 

“No, I’m just… okay well maybe.” He replies throwing his head back. 

“They go to print tonight Jughead. The ones you chose are perfect. It’s out your hands now. Just sit back and enjoy it.” She says in a softer tone. 

In truth, she was right. Even if he wanted to change something now, it was likely the museum art curator in charge of putting together his exhibition would have his head before she would would allow that. However, it was certainly easier said than done to sit back and just enjoy the process. 

“I know, I know. So did you just come here to berate me?” He asks, quirking an eyebrow up at her.

“Always.” She smiles at him, shoving a hand full of chips into her mouth. “No, actually, and I know this is technically last minute but- “

“Oh dear lord please don’t ask me to be your wedding photographer. I know I’m technically a photographer but like, weddings, not my thing. Too much pressure to get the perfect shot and- “

“Will you be my best man?” She says, effectively cutting him off mid ramble. 

“Wait, what?” He asks, spinning around in his desk chair to fully face her. 

“Will you be my best man?” This time she says it more slowly, making sure to enunciate each word clearly, so there would be no confusion. 

“Are you serious? Isn’t that a job better suited for, I don’t know, Sweet Pea or Fangs?” 

While he certainly considered Toni to be one of his best friends, along with Archie, he had never been quite sure if he fell into the same category for her. Since his junior year of high school, when his life, which had already been more difficult than most teenagers his age, took an impossible turn for the worst, Toni, Sweet Pea, and Fangs had been the unexpected silver lining. A trio already forged in childhood memories and adolescent strife, welcomed him with open arms. Later, when Jughead hit what people affectionately call rock bottom they would make up a portion of the group of people responsible for bring him back from the edge. 

_ “Fuck off!” Jughead yells in the general direction of the people standing in his trailer in front of him.  _

_ “Go ahead Jug, get mad, throw some shit, stomp around. Here you wanna throw this plate? I mean if we’re reenacting scenes from your childhood why not go all the way, right?” Toni says, pulling a dirty plate from the mountain sized pile of dirty dishes in his sink.  _

_ Jughead fights back the tears welling in his eyes. He knows what they are doing, trying low blows to get to him, but he won’t let it work. He takes the plate from her hand and sends it flying across the room, shattering into pieces against the wall.  _

_ “There he is! FP Jones the third, in the flesh!” Archie calls out, clapping his hands.  _

_ Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni all join in.  _

_ “I’m serious Archie, fuck off.” He says, stabbing a shaky finger in his best friends direction.  _

_ “Will do bro, right after you pack your shit. You’re going to rehab.” Archie says nonchalantly.  _

_ “Like fucking hell I am.”  _

_ Jughead tries to push past them, only to be met with Sweet Pea’s large hand on his chest.  _

_ “Don’t make this hard on yourself Jones. We can do this the easy way, or I can throw you over my shoulder and carry you out of here myself.” Sweet Pea says in confidence.  _

_ “I’d like to see you fucking try!” Jughead says puffing puffing out his chest and raising his chin a bit. _

_ “Let’s go then!” Sweet Pea takes a step forward but is stopped by Fangs, with a hand on his shoulder.  _

_ “Chill bro, that’s not how we came to do things.” Fangs says.  _

_ Jughead can feel the rising flames of anger in his gut. He doesn’t want to be here, to be forced to listen to the things he already knows, from the people he damn near considers family. He makes a b-line for the fridge, yanking it open to retrieve the lone beer inside of it.  _

_ “Man when they say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree they really mean it don’t they.” Toni’s words are like poison, seeping in to his veins making his whole body stand on edge.  _

_ “What do you guys fucking want from me? You want me to admit I’m exactly like him? Well here you go!” Jughead cracks the can open, taking a large gulp.  _

_ “No Jughead! We want you to get some fucking help!” Toni says, her voice steadily raising in volume. “Knock off this stupid fucking woe is me, my daddy was a drunk and the only girl I ever loved, left before I get the fucking balls to tell her bullshit and look in the fucking mirror. You don’t have to become your dad. We aren’t our parents. That a choice you can fucking make right now.”  _

_ “Fuck you, don’t ever fucking bring her up again.” He says, leveling his bloodshot eyes with Toni’s.  _

_ “Forget it guys. This was waste of energy. This is it Jughead. You get the help you need now, or I’m done. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I promise you, if you don’t straighten up, the next time I’ll see you is when I’m identifying your body down at the county morgue.” Archie says throwing his hands up in defeit.  _

_ His words cut Jughead to the quick as the rest of the group nods in agreement. It’s a sobering moment, the vision of Archie standing over his lifeless body. Would that be where he ended up? The can in his hand suddenly feels heavier than anything he’s ever held and he drops it, letting it crash to the ground spilling its contents onto the linoleum floor. It’s a fitting metaphor, he thinks, for how he feels right now. An empty vessel, a cracked can, it’s insides spilled out for all to see.  _

_ A moment later Jughead himself falls to the floor, the sobs rocking through his body harder than ever before. He’s met by Toni, pulling as much of him into her lap as possible, doing whatever she can to sooth the pain of a wound to deep to even fathom.  _

_ Four hours later he pulls up in front of white stone building with large columns in the front. The words, Centerville Addiction and Mental Health Recovery Center written on the front door. Archie comes around, opening the door for him, while Toni stands there with his bad slung over her shoulder.  _

_ “You can do this Jughead.” Archie says, not bothering to try and stop the tears from spilling from his eyes as he pulls Jughead into a hug that only a brother would understand.  _

_ When they seperate, Toni hands him his bag and lands a soft punch on his shoulder. “I’ve got faith in you kid.”  _

_ He smiles and pulls her into a hug as well.  _

_ When he enters that stone white building he makes a silent plea to whatever entity is above that this works, because he know the stakes are high if he doesn’t.  _

“Don’t get me wrong Jug, Sweets, and Fangs for that matter, will be up there standing next to me as well. But when I think about who deserves best man status, that’s you.” 

Toni’s voice brings him back from the memory slamming itself against the front of his brain. The one that plays on a loop over and over again whenever he gets even the slightest of cravings for the poisonous liquid that once ruled his life. 

“Well shit Topaz, I’d love to be your best man than. But you are right, it is super last minute.” He says, snatching the bag of chips from her hand. 

“Yea well, until last night Cheryl and I had agreed no bridesmaids or groomsmen. She can’t make up mind to save her life.” She says, rolling her eyes. 

“Yea well she made it up about you.” He says giving her a smirk. 

She simply rolls her eyes again. 

“So what are you up to tonight? Sweets is covering my shift at Pop’s and I’d rather do just about anything than sit around this apartment stressing over something that, as you so sweetly pointed out, is out of my hands now.” 

Toni’s demeanor suddenly changes and he can almost feel the nervous energy radiating off of her. 

“Well, actually Cheryl and I are meeting Betty and Veronica for dinner at Pop’s. We have to finalize a bunch of wedding stuff.” She says, seemingly unable to meet his eyes. 

Jughead feels his breath catch in his throat. It’s not that he didn’t know she’d be coming into town, afterall, he’d sent her an invitation to his gallery opening with the knowledge she’d be here. However, he supposes having the knowledge that something will happen and than finally experiencing it, aren’t two sides of the same coin. The thought that at this very moment Betty is in fact, in Riverdale, makes the hairs on the back of his neck stand up right. 

“Sorry I should have lied or something.” Toni says after a moment too long of silence. 

“No, no it’s fine. I mean I knew they were coming. I just hope Archie handles it okay.” He lies, trying to direct the attention away from any potential feelings he might have about her visit. 

Toni nods in agreement. While Jughead had dealt with Betty leaving, and the subsequent ending of their friendship by diving even deeper into an addiction he had been nursing since he was 16 years old, Archie, a guy who could find the silver lining and put on a brave face through almost anything, included but not limited to, his parents separation and eventual divorce as well as his father’s diagnosis of stage two melanoma, fell into a pit of despair so deep and so long Jughead wasn’t sure he would ever get his friend back. For nearly six months Archie locked himself in his father’s house, in his childhood bedroom. When he did venture out, it was to bars to pick up random women or pick fights with whoever he could. If Jughead numbed his pain with alcohol then Archie did it with loose women and bloody bar fights. 

It wasn’t until Valerie Brown came back to town, with her guitar and honey smooth voice, that Archie even bothered to leave his house for a purpose other than to bury his sorrows in a stranger. The two reignited a friendship that had ended Sophomore year when Val moved to LA with her Aunt. Through music and song writing Archie was able to put the past and all the mistakes he’d made with Veronica behind him and start actually healing. 

Val only stayed in town for a month, but when she left, Archie continued on with his music, playing gigs in small bars all around the tri-county area, always writing, always working things out through his music. 

“This is going to be one interesting month, that’s for sure.” Toni finally says as she makes her way for the door. 

“Interesting is not the word I would use, but we can go with that.” 

After Toni is gone, Jughead pulls up Facebook on his computer. In the two years since he got sober, he’s found it helpful to periodically check up on Betty. When she published her novel, When The Last Bell Chimes, he bought four copies and read each of them a least a dozen times in a metter of two weeks. Reading the words she had written, about a girl looking for the truth in a small town with the help from a boy from the wrong side of the tracks, was almost a form of therapy for him. A way to feel close to her when they were many years and many miles apart. 

He scrolls somewhat aimlessly through Facebook for a few minutes before his curiosity gets the best of him. Typing in her name, he brings up her page quickly, as he has many times before. It was always the same, save for her profile picture changing every few months. She kept her page pretty private, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to see anything, but like any other self-deprecating millennial, he just had to look. 

A few hours, two slices of cold pizza, and one disappointing documentary on fast food restaurants in America and how they’re overwhelmingly responsible for the countries obesity, he gets what could very well be the worst idea he’s ever had. Knowing if he sits with it for to long, he’ll chicken out, he grabs his beanie from his desk and makes his way down to the street where his bike is parked.

_______________________

Betty is sitting at a booth in Pop Tate’s Chocolate Shop, the same booth she’d sat at many many times before throughout her childhood and adolescence, only this time she doesn’t feel the same at ease homey feeling she used to get. Instead, as Cheryl and Veronica drone on and on about centerpieces and the perfect placement for the dance floor, she finds herself distracted. Constantly glancing out the window, waiting, maybe even hoping, to catch a glimpse of the boy she one called her best friend. 

Three weeks before graduation an unknown number sent Veronica a video taken on a cell phone of one Archie Andrews, caught in a sloppy lip lock with Midge Klump. It was taken at a party at Cheryl’s house, one that Betty and Veronica hadn’t been able to attend due to them both working shits at Pop’s that night. Betty can still remember the fight that ensued when Veronica confronted Archie. It was the beginning of the end, not just for Veronica and Archie, but for the friendships the four of them had all built together. 

_ “Tell me this isn’t what I think it is Archie!” Veronica is crying, something Betty’s only ever seen her do once before, at her grandmother’s funeral, and even then it wasn’t like this.  _

_ In her hand she’s clutching her phone, the incriminating video of Archie and Midge Klump playing on a loop. It had been sent to her earlier that day, and since than Betty has been doing everything in her power to keep her friend calm. She knows it’s useless, the video is clear as day, but still, it’s in her nature to try and fix things, so she does.  _

_ “Veronica calm down. I’m sure Archie has a perfectly acceptable explanation.” She says, giving Archie a wide pleading looking, praying with all her might that he does.  _

_ The look of defeat is clear on his face though. “Ronnie I never meant to hurt you.” He takes a step forward, reaching out for Veronica, but she steps back out of his grasp.  _

_ They’re in Archie garage, the one he and Jughead had turned into a hang out when they were 13. On the other side of the room Jughead is standing with his hands in his pocket. His eyes are bloodshot, like always are these days, and he’s got a nervous energy about him. Suddenly Betty gets the sense that something isn’t right, but she can’t quite figure it out.  _

_ “Why would you do this? Were you drunk or something? Did she come on to you?” It’s clear Veronica is also searching, hoping that there is some explanation that will make forgiving Archie easier.  _

_ Archie looks to Jughead, who for some reason, seems unable to meet his gaze and make eye contact.  _

_ “Yea I was… I guess I just had too much to drink.” Betty, having known Archie since they were in diapers, knows this is a lie.  _

_ She looks between Jughead and Archie. If there’s a piece to this puzzle she’s missing, she wants to figure out what it is, but right now just doesn’t feel like the time. In truth, Archie is her best friend just as much as Veronica, if not more. If he’s lying, she tries to convince herself he must have a good reason.  _

_ Veronica, though, doesn’t seem convinced.  _

_ “So you just had too much to drink and decided to make out with Midge Klump?”  _

_ “Yea, I… I guess. Look Ronnie I’m sorry. I promise you nothing like that will ever happen again. It was a stupid mistake. I love you Ron, you know that!”  _

_ He’s got his best puppy dog face on, the one that makes him look even more like the all american boy next door he is and Betty is almost positive Veronica will melt right into his arms.  _

_ “I don’t believe you.”  _

_ “What do you mean you don’t believe me?”  _

_ “Was this the first time?”  _

_ “The first time?”  _

_ “Yes, was this the first time it happened, or just the first time you’ve been caught?”  _

_ Archie pauses, and in that short moment Betty knows this is the end.  _

_ “Oh my god. Oh…. how long?” Veronica seems to come to some sort of realization and her hands begin to tremble.  _

_ Betty wants to reach out, pull her into her arms, and comfort her, but she keeps getting distracted by Jughead, who seems to be getting progressively more uncomfortable as the minutes pass. _

_ “Ronnie I’m so sorry.” Archie says, closing his eyes, as if he’s trying to will away a bad memory.  _

_ “How long?”  _

_ “Just tell her Arch. Please.” Jughead’s voice is like sandpaper and it surprises Betty.  _

_ Archie lets out a long sigh, running his hand through his fire engine red hair.  _

_ “Three months.”  _

_ Veronica lets out a sound that can only be described as wail, a sign that someone is in an immeasurable amount of pain and Betty’s heart breaks for her.  _

_ “Ronnie please, I’m so sorry.” He reaches out for her but it’s too late.  _

_ “Don’t.” Is all she says before she turns and leaves.  _

_ The three of them stand there in shock for a moment. Archie slams his fist into a wall and Jughead runs his hands over his face in exhaustion and something clicks inside Betty’s head.  _

_ “You knew?” The question seems to throw Jughead off.  _

_ “What?”  _

_ “You knew he’s been messing around with Midge this whole time and you didn’t say anything?”  _

_ “Jughead’s my best friend Betty.” Archie says, and has to the gawl to sound offended.  _

_ “Shut up Archie. He’s my best friend to, and so are you for that matter. I can’t believe you Jug.”  _

_ She doesn’t know why this bothers her so much but it does.  _

_ “How is this my fault? Archie is the one who cheated!”  _

_ “And you helped him by keeping his secret! That’s so fucked up, how can you not see that?” She yells back at him, unable to quell her anger any longer.  _

_ “It wasn’t my secret to tell! Jesus christ this little group we have is so fucked up. Who am I supposed to be loyal to Betty? If I told you, you would have told Veronica, which would have pissed Archie off. I don’t tell you and suddenly I’m the bad guy!”  _

_ “He would have been pissed off but it was the right thing to do. I swear to god I don’t even know you anymore. Both of you.”  _

_ With that she walks out in search for Veronica, who she finds later that night, sitting in a booth at Pop’s.  _

“Betty? Earth to Betty?” Cheryl was waving her hand in front of Betty’s face. 

“You okay?” Veronica asks, giving Betty a confused look. 

“Shit, yea sorry. Was just zoning out.” 

“I certainly hope you can try and refrain from  _ zoning out _ on my big day. I would hate to have one of my bridesmaids trip and fall down the aisle because she wasn’t paying attention.” Cheryl says, popping a french fry in her mouth. 

“Of course Cheryl, I promise - wait… did you say bridesmaid?” 

“Jesus Betty, have you been paying attention at all? Toni and I have decided to go a more traditional route. That means you and Polly are my bridesmaids, and Veronica, along with planning the wedding, will be my maid of honor.” 

Betty wants to protest, but she knows it would be pointless. “Oh wow. Well I can’t wait. Who’s your maid of honor Toni?” 

“Um actually, it’s best man, and its- “ 

Toni’s words are cut off by the bells above the door chiming. 

“Jughead.” She says finally with a sense of unease. 

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I want to thank everyone for commenting and sharing this fic! I'm so happy everyone is enjoying it even though it's seriously so angsty! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

Betty turns her head towards the sound just in time to see Jughead walking into the diner. He’s wearing a pair of black jeans and maroon colored converses with the same signature grey S t-shirt he’s always worn, though this one looks newer. His beanie still sits on top of his head, though it’s clear the hair underneath it isn’t as long and overgrown as it was the last time she saw him. He looks good, not just in the way he’s always looked good to her, but in a healthy way. He’s more filled out than she remembers and when his eyes meet hers they aren’t bloodshot and framed with dark purple circles.

“Seriously? We haven’t even been here a full fucking day.” Beside her Veronica is packing up her things, binders and notebooks all filled with different information about the wedding, “Come on Betty.”

The four of them make their way toward the front of the diner, unable to avoid running right into Jughead.

“Hey, Veronica.” he says, though it’s Betty that he’s looking at.

“Please move,” she responds simply and he moves out of the way but only slightly.

“Hey, Betty.” Jughead says with an expression she’s unable to read.

“Hey, Jughead.” Betty replies softly as she moves past him.

A part of her wants to say more. Wants to stop and ask him how his life has been, but another part of her thinks it might be to painful, and she doesn’t want to upset Veronica. She fights against the urge to curl her fingers into her palms, an unhealthy habit that the last two and half years of therapy and medication for anxiety has helped to curb for the most part, and instead concentrates on keeping her breathing steady and her face neutral but polite.

The entire ride home Veronica stays silent and it seems odd to Betty. She was expecting her to go on a rant or blow up, but when they get back to the Pembrook Veronica tells her she’s tired and goes off to her room.

It’s not that Betty blames Veronica, she gets the anger. Finding out that Jughead had known all along had made what Archie did seem even more wrong. Even for Betty it had been an act that changed the way she looked at Jughead, and as far as Veronica knows, that is the only reason Betty and Jughead stopped talking.

What Veronica doesn’t know, what Betty has never been able to find the courage to tell her, is that it wasn’t the total truth.

_ It’s a week before graduation and Betty is closing up after her shift at Pop’s. By the time she finishes, the sun has fully gone down and the air, sticky and humid during the day, is now cool and sends a chill up her spine as it blows on her legs. _

_ _ _ It’s been two weeks since she’s talked to Jughead. Two weeks since she walked out of Archie’s garage and she misses him. Before everything happened with Veronica and Archie, Betty had finally made the decision to tell Jughead how she really feels, about the crush she has been harboring since they were old enough to know what a crush is.  _

_ Of course, that was before. _

_ Now, as she stands in the parking lot at Pop’s, she’s not sure what the right thing to do is. Veronica is her best friend and what Jughead did was wrong, but he’s not the one who cheated, Archie is. _

_ Before she can stop herself, she’s walking in the direction of Sunnyside Trailer park. It’s late, and she knows he might not be home, but she doesn’t care. In a week they will all be graduating, her and Veronica heading to Columbia, leaving Riverdale and everything else behind, and she has to tell him how she feels before she leaves. _

_ She knocks softly on the trailer door, once, twice, a third time after a while. Just as she’s starting to think he might not be home, he opens the door. The stench of beer wafting off of him and the sight of his eyes, bloodshot and sunken in, make her stomach twist. She’s known for a while Jughead was struggling, wrestling with the same demon that drove his father away, but for possibly the first time, she’s seeing just how bad it is. _

_ “Are you drunk?’’ she asks, pushing past him into the trailer. _

_ “What are you doing here Betty?” he asks, sounding almost sad. _

_ She wants to comment on the state of the living room, the take out boxes all around and the empty beer bottles, but that’s not what she came here to do. _

_ “I miss you Juggie,” The words fall from her mouth easily. _

_ He rubs the back of his neck before reaching out and pulling her into a hug. _

_ “I miss you too Betts.” _

_ Her cheek is pressed against his bare chest and it’s all she can do not to cry. _

_ “I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about Archie and Midge.” _

_ “It’s okay,” she lies. It’s not, but it’s not important right now. _

_ They stand like that for a long while, wrapped up in each other before Jughead pulls back. _

_ “Juggie, what's wrong?” Betty asks, sensing a weird tension between them. _

_ She looks up at him through damp lashes and before she’s able to react, he’s kissing her. His breath tastes like stale beer but she doesn’t care. A few moments later they are wrapped up in his threadbare sheets, naked. It’s her first time and he goes slow, making sure not to hurt her and when they finish Betty curls up into his side and drifts off to sleep. _

_ _ _ The next morning she wakes up alone. Jughead is nowhere to be found and when she calls his phone it goes straight to voicemail. It’s another week before they see each other again, the day before graduation, and Betty doesn’t understand why he’s been avoiding her. _

_ “Just talk to me Jug.” she pleads, reaching up to place a hand on his cheek. _

_ They’re at school, in the Blue and Gold office, and he’s being distant and cold. _

_ “What is there to talk about Betty?” _

_ “Why did you leave?” _

_ “Because.” he says, his face not betraying any emotion he might be feeling. _

_ “Because why Jug? You can’t kiss me and make love to me and then just disappear. That’s not fair Jug it’s-” _

_ “Because it was a mistake Betty!” his words sink into her bones and she can’t help the tears that spill from her eyes. _

_ “A mistake?” she repeats, biting her bottom lip to stop it from trembling. “Jughead, look me in the eye and tell me you don’t feel something, anything.” _

_ He keeps his eyes fixed on the floor so she steps forward and places a hand on each side of his face, forcing him to look at her. _

_ “Tell me,” she pleads. _

_ “It’s not that simple Betty.” he says pulling away from her, an almost desperate tone in his voice. _

_ “I’m leaving tomorrow Jughead. Unless you can give me a reason to stay I’m leaving. I’m getting in that car with Veronica and leaving.” she says, tears spilling from her here eyes as she crosses her arms over her chest. _

_ She wants him to ask her to stay. To tell her he needs her and that they can finally be together, but he doesn’t. _

_ “That’s probably for the best.” he says softly. _

_ Betty lets out a small sob as he turns and leaves. _

She never told Veronica. It wasn’t that she thought she’d be angry with her, it was more about how embarrassed she felt. She had laid her heart on the floor for Jughead only for him to leave it there and walk away. It was something Betty tucked away in her heart, like a secret she kept with only herself and Jughead, one she had never really felt the need to share it with anyone.

Five years later and the pain of that day still stings deep within Betty’s heart. Seeing Jughead at Pop’s had been like opening an old wound yes, but also a little like healing one as well. Maybe that’s what closure is, she thinks as her eyelids begin to get heavy.

Invitation still in hand Betty makes a decision and she thinks it will either be the best or the worst she’s ever made. She will go to Jughead’s gallery opening. She’ll have to lie to Veronica, but if it goes as planned, if she gets the closure she’s so desperately needed these past five years, she will come clean with Veronica and tell her everything.

The next day Betty spends her time following Veronica around from store to store, in search of the perfect bridesmaids dresses, something that had been a last minute addition. It’s mid afternoon and Betty is forcing herself into the 20th dress today, at the 5th store they’ve been too. She’s sweaty, hungry, and all around miserable.

“Veronica this dress is hideous.” she pouts looking in the mirror holding the dress up in front of her.

It’s a canary yellow floor length gown with pearl beading around the high neckline and lace sleeves. Like all the choices Veronica has thrown at her today, it isn’t anything she pictured Cheryl or Toni choosing for their bridesmaids.

“Just give it a chance B,” Veronica insists from the other side of the curtain.

Betty feels the prickles of frustration on the back of her neck as a bead of sweat makes its way from her temple to her jaw line. She doesn’t want to try give it a try. She gets it halfway on before she starts to feel like the walls are closing in on her, a sure sign a panic attack might be around the corner.

“No, I’m not doing this.” she says quickly, stepping out of the dress.

A minute later she’s coming out of the dressing room with the dress and a pile of other’s she didn’t try on in hand.

“Betty you have to try these on.” Veronica says crossing her arms.

“I’m not trying these on. This isn’t what I came for. I’m hot, I’m tired, I’m hungry, and all of these dresses are ugly.” she says, shoving the pile of clothing into Veronica’s arms.

“Okay crabby pants, why don’t we take a shopping break and go grab lunch at Pop’s. My treat.” Veronica replies, in a much softer tone.

She is giving Betty her very best puppy dog face and her resolve melts away.

“That sounds heavenly. But I’m still not trying on any more dresses. You know my measurements so just pick something and whatever it is I’ll wear it.” Betty says with finality.

“Fine.” Veronica replies, holding her hands up in surrender.

As the two of them walk along the quiet streets in downtown Riverdale, Betty takes a moment to let the sense of nostalgia seep into her bones. In high school, before the universe had handed each of them a unique set of unfortunate circumstances that would persist in its efforts to break them, Betty, Veronica, Jughead, and Archie, would come here nearly every weekend to spend whatever pocket change they had managed to save up. They would stop at the local ice cream shop and buy the biggest amount of ice cream all their money could buy and split it.

Betty is just getting lost in her thoughts when Veronica wraps her arm around her waist and pulls her close.

“Hey B, I know this isn’t what you signed up for. Cheryl has been exceedingly difficult, but I’m the one who took this on not you, so I’m sorry about all this.” she says as she lays her head on Betty’s shoulder.

Betty feels her heart strings tug and twist.

“No, I’m sorry V. I keep forgetting how difficult this all must be for you.”

Veronica gives Betty a light squeeze before pulling away from her. Yet again, Betty feels Veronica’s actions, or lack thereof, seem odd or off. In the past, in the rare times Archie would be brought up, Veronica’s initial reaction would always be rage. Once she got past her initial depression over the whole ordeal, she seemed to happily sink into a constant state of anger toward him. In the past year though, maybe longer, Betty had noticed that anger seemed to be thawing a bit. Maybe, like Betty, Veronica was healing.

Some twenty minutes later the girls were walking into Pop’s, the familiar bell chiming above their heads. Betty immediately welcomes the cool air conditioned air on her sticky skin. Pop’s held a significant spot in her heart as the backdrop for a large portion of her childhood, and later teenage hood, memories. Positioned right between the Northside and the Southside, it had somehow become the one place both sides found common ground at.

Betty and her fellow classmates would all gather here after school, on the weekends, and over summer to enjoy Pop’s burgers and addicting milkshakes. During the school year, the cheerleading team the River Vixen’s, would host car washes in the parking lot. When Christmas came around, Archie and his dad would set up shop selling Christmas Trees.

Veronica clears her throat, snapping Betty out her nostalgia filled daydreams. Her eyes are focused behind the counter, where Jughead is standing, talking to Sweet Pea. He’s wearing a yellow Pop Tate’s shirt, the same kind Betty herself wore so many years ago, and an apron around his waist. Sweet Pea, someone Jughead grew up with on the Southside, and who was also in the gang Jughead had joined when he turned 17, was wearing what looked like a chef’s uniform.

For a moment Betty thinks Veronica might turn around and leave, but instead she sighs and leads the two of them to a booth in the back. As they walk past, Betty makes eye contact with Jughead and she has to summon every ounce of willpower to not show all the emotions currently running rampant in her body on her face. She watches Jughead take in a sharp breath and turn his attention back to Sweet Pea.

Veronica chooses to sit with her back facing the diner, leaving Betty the seat across from her, directly facing Jughead. She waits for her friend to say something, anything, but when Veronica instead pulls out her phone and starts typing away, Betty is once again left confused. Just as she’s about to say something to her, Jughead approaches their table.

“What can I get you guys?” he’s looking down at the small notepad in his hand, not making eye contact with either of them.

“You work here?” Veronica replies, crossing her arms and raising an arched eyebrow.

“No I just really like to put on this shirt and apron just for fun. Figured today I might try some role playing as well.” he deadpans.

Betty feels the tension in her shoulder building and lays her palms flat against her thighs.

“I see you’re just as sarcastic as ever Jones,” Veronica snaps.

“Couldn’t change if I tried,” Jughead replies through a clenched jaw. “I’m the only one in today so either give me your order or if you don’t mind, I need to go take care of the other paying customers.”

Veronica glares at him for a moment, “I’ll have a cheeseburger with the works, fries, and a chocolate shake.” She says finally, turning her attention back to her phone as soon as she’s done.

Jughead turns to Betty expectantly, “And for you?”

The exchange feels too formal, too much like strangers talking to each other and she has to swallow before she can speak, her throat feeling like sandpaper.

“I’ll just have the same thing but with a-”

“A vanilla shake instead. Got it.” he finishes her sentence for her and she wants to curse at the somersault her stomach does.  _ He remembers, _ she thinks.

Once he’s gone she lets out a breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. Veronica gives her an odd look, and Betty tries desperately not to meet her gaze. Afraid if she looked into her eyes Veronica would be able to see the truth.

“So, Betty,” Veronica starts, placing her phone back into her purse. “I’m not sure what your plans are tomorrow night, but unfortunately my presence is needed at Thornhill. Cheryl wants me to come to dinner with her and her parent’s.”

“Oh, I’m... sorry.” Betty says, unable to think of anything else. Dinner at Thornhill is high on the list of things Betty would rather walk on hot coal than do.

“Yes, I’m less than thrilled myself. This will mean you are on your own for dinner and possibly for the rest of the night though.” Veronica explains.

Betty tries to reign in her excitement. She’s been racking her brain trying to come up with a lie she could feed Veronica for why she wouldn’t be around Friday night. Now, she didn’t have to, and could go to Jughead’s gallery feeling a lot less guilty.

“Oh it’s no problem at all V. I’ll probably just stay in, take a hot bath, maybe read a book or watch a movie. It’ll be nice to just relax.” Betty lies.

“Thank you for being so understanding.” Veronica replies, placing a soft hand over Betty’s.

___________________

Jughead is standing behind the counter at Pop’s trying to distract himself from the girl with the blonde ponytail seated in a booth not more than ten feet away by going over the inventory papers. It’s a useless effort as he’s had to read the same number over again about three different times, each time finding his eyes traveling to where the light was filtering in through the window, casting a golden haze over Betty’s face that made her skin glow even more than normal as she sipped her vanilla milkshake..

This is only the second time he’s seen her since she and Veronica got into to town, the first being the night before, when he made the split decision to show up at Pop’s on a night he didn’t have work with the knowledge that Betty would be there, thanks to Toni. He didn’t know then why he did it, and still doesn’t. He just had to see her, had to see if she still looked the same or if time and distance had somehow changed her. It hasn’t.

Beside him Sweet Pea chuckles lightly., “Wow” he says in amusement.

“What?” Jughead questions, furrowing his brows.

“Nothing man, it’s just weird ya know.”

“What’s weird?”

“It’s like stepping into a time machine. Standing here watching you watch Betty from across the room with that same longing look you wore for the entirety of our high school career.” he explains with a smirk on his face.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Jughead lies gathering the papers, “Don’t you have a job to do?”

Sweet Pea simply laughs, returning to his post in the kitchen.

Jughead wants to kick himself for being so obvious. In high school, it was no secret that he had harbored a long time crush on Betty, just as much as it was no secret that she had also been pining after him for quite some time. Having been best friends since they were in diapers, along with Archie, by the time high school came around what was once innocent flirting, for lack of a better word, among friends, had somehow changed. It wasn’t long before Jughead started to feel something different, something stronger, every time Betty hugged him, or cuddled up to his side while watching a movie in Archie’s garage. When Veronica came into the picture, turning their trio into a quartet by dating Archie and becoming Betty’s bestie, outings with the four of them felt more like double dates, even if Jughead and Betty never crossed the line from friendship to something more.

The decision not to pursue anything more than a friendship with Betty was one he made after a party at Reggie Mantle’s. Something about the hurt and pity in Betty’s eyes was so familiar to the look he’d seen in his mother’s eyes so many times before that he knew then and there he’d never let himself go there with her.

_ It’s the first weekend of their Junior year of high school, and in what he guesses is some sort of celebration of making it through the first week of school, Reggie Mantle is throwing a house party. Usually, Jughead wouldn’t be caught dead at party like this, or any party for that matter, but nowadays anything beats staying home watching his dad drown his sorrows in another empty bottle only to pass out on the couch mumbling to himself. _

_ A short three months ago, Jughead came home from his shift at the twilight drive-in to a screaming match between his mom and dad. There was a suitcase by the door and Jellybean, his little sister who was only 8 at the time, was sitting on the couch clutching her book bag tightly to her chest. _

_ An hour later he was standing on the small front porch to his trailer watching half of his life drive away in the family station wagon. His mom, tired of his dad’s drinking and putt off by his dad’s involvement with the local biker gang, the Serpent's, took off with his little sister in tow, not bothering to ask if he wanted to come. _

_ Since then his dad, who has been balancing on the edge of full blown alcoholism, seems to dive head first into the nearest bottle. Every night, he stumbles into the trailer ranting and raving about Jughead’s mom and how much he missed JB, unable to see the son he still has, who still very much needs his father, right in front of him. _

_ So when Betty batted her long lashes and nearly begged him to come along with her, Veronica, and Archie to Reggie’s party, he couldn’t really think of a good reason to say no. _

_ _ _ An hour and four beers later and Jughead was feeling lighter than he has in years. It isn’t the first time he’s drank alcohol, him and Archie having snuck beers out of Archie’s dad’s mini fridge in the garage about a dozen times since they were thirteen, and it isn’t even the first time he’s been drunk, that being last summer when Veronica had a movie night and made mixed drinks that were sugary and sweet. Jughead drank two, too quickly and after feeling too dizzy to stand, threw up all over her white carpet. It is, however, the first time he felt good, almost numb from the copious amounts of alcohol in his system. _

_ For the first time in three months he isn’t thinking about the station wagon and the way the street lights casted a ghostly glow on Jellybeans face as they pulled away. He isn’t worried about where his dad was or what shape he’d be in when got home. He can’t bring himself to care that his mother, a woman who was neverly overly affectionate with him to begin with, didn’t even ask him if he wanted to come with her, or show any signs of remorse in leaving him behind. All he feels is numb and it’s the best feeling he’s had in a while. _

_ He’s sitting on the couch next to Reggie and Josie who are currently sucking face so hard the whole house could catch on fire and they wouldn’t notice when he realizes his bottle is empty and he wants another. He makes his way through the throng of people into the kitchen where Archie is standing between Veronica’s legs as she perched on the counter, Betty sitting next to her. _

_ He stumbles a bit as he reaches into the cooler. _

_ “Jeez Jug, are you drunk?” Archie asks with a laugh. _

_ “Maybe,” Jughead laughs, stumbling back a bit. _

_ “Well maybe you should slow down. How many beers is that, three?” Archie says moving to walk towards him, his tone changing a from light to concerned. _

_ “This makes five,” Jughead says, using his belt buckle to pop the top before taking a large gulp, “And I’m fine, Dad.” _

_ “Archie’s right Jug. Nothing wrong with getting a little wasted but we’ve only been here like an hour, gotta pace yourself.” Veronica add’s and he sees Betty nod in agreement. _

_ Suddenly his guts fills with a warm feeling, but it’s not joy, something closer to anger but he’s almost too numb to know. _

_ “You guys are the ones who basically begged to come and have a good time. Well I’m here, I’m having a good time, so why don’t you all just back the fuck off.” he barks a little too loudly and can’t help but notice how Betty seems to flinch. _

_ _ _ She looks at him, her face that is usually so bright and cheery, save for those rare moments when her anxiety gets the best of her, is now tense with a look he’s long grown to hate; pity, as well as possibly a little hurt. _

_ It stings, or at least it should, but truthfully he’s too far gone to really care. It’s not until the next morning when she’s knocking on his trailer door, coffee and donuts in hand, when the weight of her expression hits him. _

_ “Sorry about last night. I have no clue what got into me,” he lies, taking the hot cup of coffee and bag of donuts from her hand. _

_ “It’s fine Jug, we’ve all been there.” she says with a sympathetic tone that doesn’t match the worried look in her eyes. _

_ “Yea I don’t think I’m gonna be drinking like that ever again.” he lies again. _

_ It’s that moment, sitting in his dirty trailer surrounded by his father’s empty beer bottles and the stench of failure strong in the air that he decides, regardless of whatever not-so-secret feelings the two of them have for each other, Jughead will never let himself go there with Betty. _

“Order up!” The sound of the kitchen bell and Sweet Pea’s voice snap him out of his thoughts.

He brings Betty and Veronica their food, trying hard not to make eye contact with Betty, before telling Sweet Pea he’s going on break.

Once out back behind the diner, he takes in a deep breath. He knew having Betty back in town would be difficult, but after seeing her two days in a row, he’s not sure how he will last the rest of the month.

Since getting out of rehab two years ago, Jughead has been actively working the AA program. He goes to meetings just about every other day, has worked the steps necessary for maintaining his sobriety, has a sponsor, and works hard to continue following those steps and principles. It’s become almost second nature to him now, but in the beginning it wasn’t so simple.

Part of the program involves making a list of all the people you’ve hurt while in active addiction and making amends with them if possible. When the time came, Jughead did his bet to do just that, apologizing to nearly all the people who he had wronged in his addiction. All except one; Betty.

He had tried in vain, over and over again, to write her a letter apologizing for the night they had spent together, and his actions after that, but nothing sounded right. He made excuses for why he never did it, saying that it wasn’t fair of him to drudge something up that she probably didn’t want to think about, and that apologizing would only serve to make him feel better. He knew it was a lie then and he knows it still now.

As he stands under the hot midday sun he feels the all to familiar craving of something to numb away the anxieties and feelings surrounding Betty and her presence in his life again. It’s not the first time he’s had cravings, and it won’t be the last, so he shoots his sponsor a text, asking if he can call. A minute later his phone rings.

“What’s up, Jug?” Frank Carlton is another recovering alcoholic who Jughead met through the program.

He’s been sober for nearly 20 years, after living 25 years before that in active alcoholism and drug addiction while in a small rock band. He offered to sponsor Jughead one night after a meeting and has been doing so ever since.

“She came into the diner today. She’s here now actually,” he explains into the phone, running a hand through his sweaty beanieless hair.

Jughead has spent many hours over many nights spilling all of his secrets, his fears, and his hopes to Frank so he was already well versed in all things Betty.

“How you feeling about that?”

“Shitty.”

“Feeling shitty doesn’t feel good, does it?” Frank asks, and Jughead can hear him take a drag from his cigarette.

“No, it doesn’t.” Jughead replies.

“What are you options son?”

Jughead squeezes his eyes shut. This is what makes Frank such a good sponsor. He doesn’t ever give Jughead the answers, instead, makes Jughead give him the answers.

“Get drunk or tell her the truth.” he replies.

“Play the tape forward, which of those choices has the better outcome?”

Play the tape forward. This is something Jughead learned in rehab and then proceeded to hear over and over again in meetings. The basic idea being that you can usually try and predict the outcome of your choice by your past experiences.

He knows that if he decides to go out and have drink, to get drunk, it won’t just be a one time thing. He’ll be back doing the same thing the next day, and the next, until he’s back to sleeping all day, unable to function well enough to work, which will result in losing his job (and letting down Pop). That will lead to him being unable to afford his apartment, and so on and so on. Not to mention all the people he’ll disappoint and hurt and the friendships he’ll lose.

If he talks to Betty, well he’s not so sure of that outcome, but knows the worst that could happen is she won’t want to speak to him anymore, which isn’t anything different than what’s been happening the last five years of his life.

“Talking to her, telling her the truth.” he finally says to Frank through the phone.

“Like I always tell ya kid, you had the right answers all along. You’re too smart for your own good sometimes, you get in that head of yours too much. Why don’t you swing by the warehouse tonight for a meeting. Might give you some clarity.” Frank says.

“Yea, I think I’ll definitely do that. Thanks Frank.”

“No problem kid. Just remember, it works if you work it...”

“So work it cause you’re worth it.” Jughead finishes with a chuckle.

“Oh and by the way, good luck on tomorrow night. I know it’s gonna go off without a hitch, but I just wanted to tell you I’m proud of you kid. Can’t wait to see your work hung up in a fancy museum.”

Jughead feels a lump form in his throat the minute the words ‘I’m proud of you’ come through the speaker on his phone. They aren’t words he’s used to hearing and he bites back the tears filling his eyes.

“Thank you Frank, that means a lot.” he says through a choked voice.

Frank hangs up and Jughead takes a moment to think before heading back into the diner. He knows he needs to talk to her, but decides it’s something that can wait until after his show, wanting his main focus to be on that.

By the time he comes back in Veronica and Betty have already finished eating and are waiting for their check.

“It’s on the house,” he tells them, before turning to talk away.

He hears Veronica mumble something under her breath as the girls get up to leave. Once the bell above chimes, indicating they’ve left, Jughead lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding in.

“Jughead?” Betty’s voice causes him to jump and he turns around.

“Betty.” He says quickly.

She’s standing in front of the counter, her hands wringing together in front of her, and for a moment he wonders if she still has the habit of digging her fingers into her palms. If she does, she’s doing a good job of not doing it right now.

“I... I just wanted to say thank you.” she finally says.

“It’s no problem really, Pop would have done the same thing.” he explains, but the confused look on her face tells him that’s not what she was referring to.

“No, no I mean for inviting me to your show tomorrow.” she explains.

Jughead chokes on his breath, “You’re welcome.” 

He’s not sure what else to say. He still doesn’t know why he even invited her. It was a spur of the moment thing prompted by the news, from Toni, that she would be coming back to Riverdale a short three days before.

“I can’t wait to see your work,” she says finally before turning to leave, not giving him a chance to respond.

He’s left speechless. Not in his wildest imagination did he expect her to actually come, to actually want to see anything he’s done. Now, more than ever, he feels overwhelmingly nervous for the entire event.

“Fucking shit this is going to be one interesting month.” Sweet Pea says through a laugh beside him, clasping a hand down on his shoulder.

 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter is a bit less angsty, at least I think so. haha The whole fic is one big angst fest though and you've been more than warned! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

Jughead jumps awake, his body covered in a thin sheen of sweat. It’s nearly 7am, an hour before his alarm is set to go off, and he’s not sure what has woken him up. A car alarm outside begins to blare and he sighs.

It’s not the first time he’s had a dream that causes him to wake up suddenly. Early on in sobriety he would have what are called drunk dreams. Dreams in which he would be drunk or drinking that would cause him to wake with the fear that the dream had been real. He learned they were common and would fade over time, which they did.

Today the culprit is more than likely his anxieties around his gallery opening tonight. The day before, Betty had, out of nowhere, declared she couldn’t wait to see his work, indicating she would be there. If he wasn’t already nervous of what everyone would think, he surely is now, worried she would find fault in his subject matter.

It was no secret in high school that she, and Archie for that matter, hadn’t been happy about his choice to join the Serpents. They didn’t understand why he would want to do that, though in their defense he didn’t exactly give them an honest reason. He still to this day believes Betty was most angry because he had hid it from her.

_ It’s the middle of summer after Junior year, and Jughead is standing in his living room in nothing but his pajama pants, trying to clean up the beer cans and empty whiskey bottles that liter the coffee table and floor when he hears a soft knock at the door, followed by the turning of a knob. _

_ “Hey Jug you home?” Betty calls out as she opens the door to his trailer. _

_ He panics, the three week old ink in the shape of a Serpent on his upper right bicep now feeling like it’s burning it’s way right through his skin. It’s been three whole weeks since he joined the Serpents officially, two since his dad took off after finding out, and one since the last time he lied to Betty about why he couldn’t hang out and he still hasn’t told her the truth about any of it. _

_ He knows she’s going to be mad so he scrambles to try and find something he can throw on, only finding his Serpent jacket. He throws it in the closet real quick just in time for Betty to walk in. _

_ “Hey I just wanted to see if you wanted to...” She pauses, giving him a funny look. _

_ He’s standing with his left arm, across his chest, his hand over the tattoo, trying to look as casual as possible. _

_ “What are doing?” She asks. _

_ “Uh, nothing. I was just trying to clean up.” He says, not moving his arm. _

_ “Why are you standing like that?” She asks through a laugh. _

_ “Like what?” _

_ _ _ She regards him for a moment before stepping toward him. _

_ “Like you’re hiding something. What’s on your arm Jug?” She tries to reach out to pull his hand off but he steps away, stumbling back a bit. “Are you drunk?” She asks taking in the state of the living room. _

_ “No, those are my dad’s.” He half lies. His dad left two weeks ago and while Jughead hasn’t bothered to clean up the empty bottles he left behind, he certainly has added to the mess with his own. _

_ “Stop lying to me Jughead, what are you hiding?” _

_ He sighs, deciding now is as good a time as any, and drops is hand. Betty gives him a look before stepping forward, taking his arm in her hand and turning it toward her. _

_ “Tell me this isn’t real Jughead.” She says, trying to wipe it off with her hand. _

_ “I can’t.” He says, pulling away. _

_ “You’re... you’re a Serpent now?” She nearly yells. _

_ “What the fuck?” Archie has somehow materialized at the door at the worst moment possible, with Veronica right behind him and Jughead wills the earth to open up and swallow him whole. _

_ “Oh great, the whole gang's here.” He says, throwing his hands in the air. _

_ “What the fuck are you thinking Jughead? That gang is the reason your dad is... the reason your mom left!” Archie says. _

_ “No Archie, my mom left because she’s a bitch and a piece of shit.” He spits, the anger in his gut rising like bile in the back of his throat. _

_ He knows that’s not true. He knows his dad’s drinking is what ultimately drove her away, but with the ghost of last night’s bender still flowing through his veins, he can’t bring himself to admit that out loud. _

_ “Come on Jug, you know that’s not the whole story. What’s going on with you Juggie?” Her use of his nickname, the one only she calls him, makes his heart ache. _

_ “Nothing is going on with me. You guys don’t... you don’t understand. My dad left. The Serpent's...” He pauses trying to think of the best way to make them understand. “They’re like a family.” _

_ “Your dad left?” Veronica asks, still standing by the door. _

_ “Yeah.” _

_ _ _ “When?” Betty asks. _

_ He knows he should just tell them the truth, that it won’t make that much of a difference, but he also knows framing it a different way, making it seem like joining the Serpents is a product of his dad leaving, instead of the other way around, which is the truth, will earn him pity points. _

_ “Three weeks ago, I joined the Serpents a week later.” _

_ Betty and Archie exchange concerned looks, but seem to believe him, and the guilt he feels is almost instant. His hand itches to reach for a bottle, or a can, or anything really so he doesn’t have to stand here, feeling naked and vulnerable, and not just because he’s not wearing a shirt. _

They still didn’t approve, or understand for that matter, but over time it became background noise to everything else each person of their group had been going through at the time. Jughead sometimes thinks back to that time and wonders how any of them made it out alive.

He sighs, deciding since he’s already awake, he might as well get up. His show doesn’t start until 7pm, but he has to be there nearly 3 hours early to finalize everything. Beforehand, he wants to hit a midday meeting and he has to stop by Toni and Cheryl’s for his suit, something Cheryl insisted he couldn’t be left in charge of.

Two and a half hours later he’s showered, dressed, and starving as he stops at the small coffee shop on the corner of the block his apartment is located on. He orders a black coffee, a chocolate chip muffin, and a bagel with cream cheese. Just as he’s sitting down his phone rings. It’s Archie.

“Hey man, how’s it going?” He says, answering the phone.

“It’s going good dude. My plane just landed and I should be making it to your show right on time!”

Archie sounds excited and Jughead feels his whole chest warm.

“That’s awesome Arch. How long you staying?” He asks, taking a bite of his muffin.

“Actually I’m gonna be staying for a while. I’m thinking about moving back.”

This takes Jughead off guard and he chokes a bit on the the sip of hot coffee he had just taken.

“Really?”

“Yeah! There’s...I um... let’s just say I have a lot to tell you.” Archie explains through a stutter.

“I can’t wait man.”

“Me neither. I’ll see you tonight.” Archie says and then adds, “Oh and Jug, I’m proud of you man. This is huge, don’t ever forget that.”

Jughead feels choked up yet again over those same four words. It’s especially meaningful coming from Archie.

“Thank you Arch. That... Thank you.” He says finally.

“No problem man. See you in a bit.”

They hang up and Jughead finishes his food and coffee feeling a bit lighter than he did just a few minutes ago.

Once he’s done, he makes his way toward Cheryl and Toni’s. They rented a house in the suburb of Riverdale, and though Jughead himself had never felt the desire to live there, he’s glad they do, if only for the ride he enjoys taking on his bike. It’s filled with small winding roads that look out onto Sweetwater River and on a day like today, when the sun is shining through a small gathering of clouds and the air is warm but not to sticky, it’s one of the best rides.

About 15 minutes later he pulls up out front of their house. Toni is sitting on the steps of their front porch, a mug of coffee in her hand, giving him an odd look.

“You better stop checking me out Topaz, you’re about to be a married woman.” He says with mock cockiness as he takes off his helmet, hanging it on one of the handlebars on his bike.

“In your dreams Jones.” She says rolling her eyes.

“In yours.” He teases right back, taking a seat next to her.

They sit in comfortable silence for a while, looking out onto the street, watching the cars go by. They live on a main street, and even this early in the morning, it’s relatively busy.

“So why’d you do it?” Toni finally asks, taking a long sip of her coffee.

“Do what?” He asks.

“Why did you show up at Pop’s the other night after I told you she’d be there?”

He sighs, dropping his head into his hands for a moment.

“I don’t know. I guess I just needed to see her.” He half heartedly explains.

Toni doesn’t say anything, instead she lets out a deep sigh, before putting her cup down and turning to face Jughead. Her brows are creased and her expression seems laced with concern, though he’s not sure why.

“What?” He asks finally.

“Should I be worried about you?” She asks with a tilt of her head.

“Worried about me? Why would you need to be worried about me?”

Something flashes across Toni’s face but before he can read it, it’s gone.

“Jug, you’ve been doing so good these last two years. With getting sober, moving out of the trailer, working at Pop’s, and now this photography stuff. I’d hate to see all of that go down the drain because of Betty being back in town.”

Jughead thinks about what she says for a moment before coming to a realization.

“Toni, I didn’t become an alcoholic because Betty left, or because I never got the chance to tell her how I felt. In fact, it has little to nothing to do with her.” He explains.

“How can you say that? After she left you were a mess.” She says holding a hand out as if to present the facts in her palm.

“I was a mess before she left too, I just hid it better. When she did leave, I guess I just didn’t feel the need to hide it anymore. I’m an alcoholic because I have a predisposition to be so.” She gives him a look that tells him she doesn’t understand. “Having an alcoholic parent puts me at greater risk for becoming one myself. It was going to happen regardless if Betty left or not.”

“I guess I just thought a lot of it was you trying to stuff down your feelings for her with alcohol.” She finally says.

“Well you aren’t wrong, that was definitely one layer of it.” He admits, running a hand through his hair.

“I just worry about you dude, that’s all.” She says finally, standing up. “Now let’s get inside before Cheryl comes looking for you.”

“Yeah, we definitely wouldn’t want that.” He says with a mock shudder.

It’s a few hours later when Jughead is pulling up in front of the Centerville School of Arts Museum, where his photo exhibition will be held after attending a meeting. The building is tall and white, with a modern design, located on the campus of the Centerville School of Arts. Tonight’s showing of his work is just one of seven the museum will be hosting in the photo documentary series, his being the first.

Off to the side there seems to be a red carpet set up, with an area roped off in front he figures is for press. He feels his nerves begin to get the best of him as he thinks about walking down the carpet, the camera’s flashing in his face. It’s more than he expected and he’s not sure how he feels about it.

Inside, about 20 people seem to be running around, doing one thing or another to prepare. There’s people wiping down tables, other’s dusting the large canvas prints of his pictures, and even more setting up the open bar off to the side. Jughead takes a moment to take it all in.

His photos, seeming larger than life blown up and hung on the high white walls and try as he might, he can’t deny that they look amazing. There are three sections, black and white, color, and then portraits. He remembers going through and deciding what pictures to put where. As he walks along the far wall, he observes all the photos, taking a moment to remember when each one was taken, and why.

On the far right wall, in the color section, is a photo of Toni sitting on her bike, with Cheryl on the back, sharing what might have been an intimate moment. The wind had blown their hair up, mixing the pink of Toni’s and the bright red of Cheryl’s and he remembers being amazed at the way it looked with the sun shining through, melting into an almost orange haze around them. Cheryl seemed to love the picture as well, making him promise not to let anyone else buy it tonight.

In the black and white section, there’s one of Sweet Pea. He’s shirtless, crouched down, working on his bike. His Serpent jacket is thrown over the front, perfectly displaying the Serpent logo, and Jughead remembers taking the quick moment to snap the picture, and Sweet Pea yelling at him for it right after.

A little ways down on the same wall is one of Fangs and his boyfriend at the time, a guy named Marco. They’re sitting on the leather couch in the basement at the Whyrm, where Fangs lived for a time. Marco’s laying down with his head in Fangs lap and they are both laughing and smiling at each other. Jughead felt it especially important to include photos like this, and the one of Toni and Cheryl, showcasing the gang’s acceptance of LGBTQ+ people.

In the color section is a group of his favorite photos. They were taken during Christmas last year at the local women's shelter. The gang had gotten together and did a toy and clothing run riding down the coast to Georgia and backup, collecting donations all along the way. By the time they got back home they managed to gather up over 10 grand and enough toys and clothes to give to everyone currently living at the shelter, and still have some left over. It was one of the most humbling events Jughead had ever been a part of.

Every picture taken and chosen shows a side of gang life no one ever sees and Jughead finds himself getting choked up as he looks at all of them.

“Jughead!” A dark middle aged woman calls out to him. Her name is Kathy and she is the art curator for the museum.

“Hey Kathy. Everything looks absolutely incredible.” He says as she approaches him.

“Well the art is yours, the rest is just lighting and fancy tablecloths.” She says, waving an arm in the direction of the room. “Come, there are some people you need to meet. Then I’ll show you to your dressing room, where you can change and rest before the night begins.”

Jughead follows Kathy, nodding and shaking the appropriate hands along the way.

It’s a little over two hours later when he’s making his way to the red carpet area, dressed in a fitted black suit, with a red dress shirt and no tie, per Cheryl’s orders. His hair is tamed as best as he can get it and he leaves his beanie in his bag.

Before he makes his way down the carpet, Kathy gives him the rundown on how to stop and wave and let the press take his photos. She also reminds him to stop at the end for a brief interview with a local art magazine. He’s trying his best to listen and take it all in, but it’s becoming increasingly difficult to hear anything over the sound of his heart beating faster than ever in his ears.

Before he knows it he’s being led onto the carpet. The camera flashes take him by surprise at first, but he blinks a few times and adjust quickly. He gives small waves here and there and smiles until his cheeks hurt. At the end, a tall lanky guy dressed in khaki pants, with suspenders and a boy tie, introduces himself as Mikey Q from Small Town Magazine and asks if he can ask Jughead a few questions. He nods in agreement and then does his best to give articulate thoughtful answers to the mans otherwise generic and predictable questions.

Once he’s done, Kathy leads him into the building and off to a room on the side, says someone will present him in about a half hour, when most of the guests have arrived, and that's when he’s to give a brief but detailed description of the work he’s showing and why. Once everyone leaves the room he lets out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding. He’s about take a sip from one of the bottles of water left for him when there is a knock at the door.

“Jug?”

It’s Fred Andrew’s, Archie’s dad.

“Hey Fred. Come on in.” He says.

Fred pulls Jughead into a tight hug and he has to swallow hard to keep from getting choked up.

“Look at you kid. My god, I’m so proud of you.” Fred says, holding Jughead at arm's length and giving him a once over.

Jughead struggles to keep his composure before Fred pulls him in for another hug.

“Thank you for coming.” He says when they seperate.

“I wouldn’t miss this for the world kid.” He says, and Jughead knows it’s the truth.

“Well I’m glad. Archie here yet?”

“He should be here soon, said he hit some traffic earlier. Also, he says got a surprise for me. You know anything about that?” He asks, trying to read Jughead’s expression.

“Only that he’s thinking of moving back here, but he didn’t say why, just that he had a lot to tell me.”

“Well I’ll be damned.” Fred says, rubbing the back of his neck and shaking his head. “Well anyway, I just wanted to come in and see you before everything gets started.”

“I appreciate that.” Jughead says, before adding. “Wait, how’d you find me back here anyway?”

“I asked someone where you were, told them I was your dad.” Fred says shrugging his shoulders and Jughead feels something in his chest tighten.

Nearly 45 minutes later Kathy is calling for Jughead. A man he’s never seen before is introducing him, and before he knows it he’s headed up on stage.

As he takes the microphone from the man, the sight of a beautiful blonde wearing a shade of red that should be illegal coming through the doors catches his attention. It’s Betty and she nearly takes his breath away. It takes him a moment to regain his composure before he begins to speak.

_________________

“Hello everyone, my name is Jughead Jones and I want to thank you for coming out my photography gallery exhibition, Through the Lens: Gang Life In Small Town America.”

Jughead is standing on stage wearing just about the most sinfully tailored suit Betty has ever seen. His hair is long on top and shorter on the sides, and somewhat tamed, that same rebellious curl still making its way in front of his forehead though. He catches her eyes and she feels the air leave her lungs. She rights herself, focusing on his words the best she can.

“This has been a passion project of mine for the last two years. The people you are going to see in these photos as you walk through the gallery are members of the motorcycle gang known as The Serpents. It’s the gang my father rode with when I was a child, the gang I later rode with as a teenager and young adult, and the gang who played a large part in saving my life and showing me what it felt like to have a real family.”

Betty swallows the lump starting to form in her throat.

“I wanted to shine a light on the aspects of gang life hardly anyone ever sees. From the different types of relationships within the group to the charity work they take pride in performing every year, you will see it all. I hope you can keep an open mind when viewing these photographs and remember that like you, each person you see has a story to tell that might be vastly different from yours, or quite possibly all to similar. I hope you all have a good time. Thank you.”

He finishes and hands the microphone to the man who introduced him as he walks off stage. She wants to go to him right away, to tell him how proud she is, but as she watches him get swept away by a dark haired woman, she decides to hang back a bit.

She makes her way through the gallery doing her best to take in every single photo. It’s an odd feeling, not only knowing the person who took the pictures, but also knowing most of the people in them. It almost feels invasive, getting to see a part these people lives she would otherwise never be privy to.

As she stares at a black and white photo of Sweet Pea, Fangs, and Toni all laughing, wide smiles on their face, at what looks like Sweetwater River, Betty can’t help but feel tiny pangs of jealousy bubble up in her gut. She remembers a time, back before the universe decided to deal each of them the shittest possible hand of cards and yet, all at the same time, when life was simpler.

_ “Jughead Jones if you don’t get that camera out of my face.” Betty threatens, though she’s smiling and laughing and he keeps his finger planted firmly on the shutter release button. _

_ “It’s for posterity Betts, c’mon.” He says, moving the camera a bit to capture her a different angle. _

_ “I’ll give you something for posterity.” She retorts and a second later she’s chasing him around Archies truck while he and Veronica throw their heads back in laughter. _

_ It’s Friday night and they are parked at the twilight drive-in waiting for the movie to start. It’s closing in on the end of Freshman year and the air is starting to get warmer every day. _

_ “I surrender, I surrender!” Jughead says, doubled over clutching his stomach. _

_ “Good. Now put that camera away and live in the moment!” _

_ He smiles at her and the swarm of butterflies in her belly that have been growing in size and quantity since the beginning of the school year whenever he is around being to swarm. He takes a seat next to her, throwing an arm over her shoulder and pulling her close. _

_ He’s warm and smells like pine and old books and Betty wants to lose herself in the scent. Behind them Veronica and Archie are cuddled under a blanket getting lost in each others eyes and Betty can’t help the warm feeling of happiness that spreads through her body. The four of them had already made so many plans for the summer and if it’s anything like tonight, she can’t wait. _

_ Later that week he shows her the photos he took from that night. He points to one where she’s tilting her head up toward the setting sun, eyes closed, the breeze blowing her hair up behind her, and tells her that’s his favorite. The butterflies turn into baby birds leaping from the nest and crashing to the ground, leaving little seeds of hope in their wake, and it’s all Betty can do to keep from smiling like a foolish school girl. _

_ _ “Betty,” Jughead’s voice brings her back to the present.

“Hi.” She says simply, not sure of what else to say.

“Hi.” He says back.

They stand there in silence, just staring at each other, before they both try to talk at the same time.

“You first.” Betty says.

“No go ahead.” He insists.

“I just wanted to say these are all so incredible. You should be really proud yourself. I’m really proud of you.”

She watches his adam's apple bob as he swallows and thinks for a moment maybe she shouldn’t have said that, but then he smiles.

“Thank you Betty. That’s uh...” He clears his throat then adds, “That means a lot.”

“Of course. I’m just really glad you invited me. I wouldn’t have wanted to miss this.”

“Betty, do you think we could talk?” He says suddenly, like he was rushing to get the words out.

“I thought we were talking right now.”

“We are. I just mean like, about...” He pauses and Betty knows what he means.

“Yes, we can talk Jughead.” She says to spare him and because she doesn’t want him to have to say the words.

“It doesn’t need to be tonight, or tomorrow, or the night after for that matter, just eventually. Ya know, before you go back home.”

The word “home” doesn’t sound right, though she’s not sure why.

“Of course. We will talk.”

“Awesome.” He’s smiling, almost blushing and Betty fights against the urge to reach up and touch his cheek like she would have done when they teenagers, before everything.

“Do you want to walk with me, tell me about the pictures?” She asks before the silence between them stretches any further.

“I’d love to.” He says and leads her toward the rest of the photos.

As they walk, he tells her about the different photos, what was happening during each. Beside each photo is a small descriptor, giving a brief explanation of each picture, but Betty doesn’t bother reading any of them, opting instead to listen to Jughead’s own words.

It should feel weird between them she thinks, having been so long since they’ve seen each other, let alone spent any amount of time together, but it doesn’t. They seem to fall into step just as easily as if it were five years ago and they were back in high school. She finds herself completely enthralled with every word he says, being sure not to interrupt him.

In some ways, he’s still the same Jughead she remembers, but in so many other ways he’s different. He seems happier now, somehow more confident in his own body, and even if she won’t admit it out loud, she finds it attractive. He’s still fidgety, but not nearly as much as he used to be, and she has a strong suspicion tonights nervousness stems from the actual event, and it’s not just his normal state anymore.

His eyes are clear, something she had had trouble remembering, even back before she left. She wants to ask him if he’s sober, or if he’s at least stopped drinking the way he used to, but she doesn’t think it’s appropriate, at least not yet. She catches him looking at her hands and her wrists a few times and she wants to tell him she’s better now, but she doesn’t think that’s appropriate either.

Betty follows Jughead through nearly the entire gallery, waiting politely and patiently whenever someone stops to ask him questions or comment on his work. A few times she thinks she should just continue through without him, not wanting to monopolize his time, but then he catches her eye and gives her a sort of ‘wait for me’ look and of course, she does.

They are just about at the end of the exhibit, Jughead has just finished thanking an older couple for buying one of his photos when she hears a voice she hasn’t heard in over 5 years call after him.

“Jug! I made it!” Archie calls and as Betty turns around, prepared to put on a brave face and be civil simply for Jughead’s sake, she feels her entire body run cold when she spots Veronica walking next to him, her hand linked in his.

She must register Betty’s presence at the same time, because a flash of shock crosses her face and she quickly drops her hands from Archies, causing him to look at her with confusion, before realizing that she’s looking at Betty.

The four of them are suddenly standing there, her and Jughead on one side with Archie and Veronica not more than three feet in front of them.

“I take it she’s the surprise you told your dad about and what you have a lot to tell me about.” Jughead says and it's clear by his tone he’s just as surprised as she is.

“What are you doing here Veronica? What are you doing with,” she pauses, letting her eyes flick over to Archie briefly, “him?”

“Him? Really Betty. You won’t even say my name?” Archie says, his tone a mix of offended and hurt.

Betty ignores him, her attention focused solely on Veronica who has yet to say a word or meet Betty’s eyes with her own.

“Well V?”

“Betty...” Veronica starts but then stops, looking over to Archie with an expression Betty can’t read. “I was going to tell you. I’ve wanted to tell you.”

Betty is floored. “You’ve wanted to tell me? Tell me what? What is going on and exactly how long has it been going on for?”

Veronica takes in a deep breath, her hand coming up to finger the stand of pearls around her neck, letting Betty know she’s uncomfortable and nervous. Archie takes her free hand in his, and she seems to derive some kind of confidence boost from this because she begins to explain.

“Archie and I have been seeing each other.” She says, looking over at him and smiling. “It started about a year ago.”

Betty feels like the floor beneath her has been swept away and she’s free falling into an infinitely long black abyss. She splays her hands out against her sides to keep from digging her nails into her palms, something Jughead must notice, because he gingerly places a calming hand on the center of her back.

“You... You have been seeing each other for a whole year? And you didn’t think I should know? We live together Veronica. You’re my best friend. My only best friend because of... Because of his actions.” She says, trying desperately to stay calm, reminding herself of where they are and why they are there. She doesn’t want to ruin Jughead’s big night.

“Betty you chose to leave Riverdale and stop being mine and Jughead’s friend all on your own, so don’t blame me or Ronnie for that.” Archies words feel like a slap in the face and she takes a step back on instinct.

“Betty please don’t be mad at me.” Veronica says.

“Really? You don’t expect me to be mad at you?” Something about what Betty says must have rubbed Veronica the wrong way because she clenches her jaw and seems to almost square her shoulders in response.

“Betty I understand that you are angry, but you aren't exactly innocent either. What are you even doing here?”

“Jughead invited me.” She says quickly.

“So after five years of not speaking you just decided to show up for moral support. How is that any different than me and Archie?” Veronica says, gesturing between her and Archie.

“Jughead didn’t cheat on me for three months behind my back!” She doesn’t mean to raise her voice, and as soon as the words leave her mouth she covers it.

“No, that’s right, he just took your virginity and then completely broke your heart after.” Betty gasps at Veronica’s words. “Oh I’m sorry, that’s right, I’m not supposed to know that, even though we live together and I’ve been your only best friend for the last-”

Betty gasps again, cutting off Veronica’s words, then shoots a look to Jughead and then to Archie. It takes her a minute before she realizes Jughead must have told Archie and in turn Archie told Veronica.

“Of course you told her.” She says gesturing to Archie.

“I...I..” He starts before she holds up a hand to stop him.

Betty feels like the walls around her are caving in and she needs to get out of there before she does or says something she might regret.

“I have to go.” She says before turning toward the exit. She can hear the faint sound of Jughead’s voice calling after her, but she doesn’t stop, not until she’s outside and halfway down the block the museum sits on.

As angry as she is about Veronica knowing her secret, she’s more hurt and upset about her lying to her and then throwing it in her face. Betty had given up two life-long friendships for Veronica, and it seemed so easy for her to just walk in here holding Archie’s hand.

As she leans against the building she can’t help the tears that spill from her eyes. She thinks about catching an Uber back to the Pembrooke, but she knows eventually Veronica will come back there looking for her. She doesn’t know where else to go anymore, so she just stands there, the cool breeze raising goosebumps on her skin.

 


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I think you guys will really enjoy this chapter! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

“What the hell Archie?” Jughead runs a hand through his hair sighing, unable to believe the last 10 minutes of his life were real.

“I’m so sorry Jug. I was going to tell you but... ” Archie trails off trying to explain.

Closing his eyes in frustration, Jughead counts backwards from 10 to help himself calm down. This isn’t what he needs right now, the drama this group to seems to have everytime they are all in the same room. He wants to find Betty and get back inside to finish out the night.

“The show will be over soon so just go inside if you still want to. I’m...” he pauses, looking toward the exit. “I’ll be right back.”

He doesn’t wait for Archie or Veronica to reply before he makes his way toward the exit. Outside the air is cooler than he expects it to be. He walks out to the curb, looking to his left and to his right until he spots her, standing a few feet down from the entrance

“Betty!” he calls out, lightly jogging up to her. “You’re still here.”

“Yea, I um... I’m going to go I just.” she pauses, wiping the ghost of a tear from cheek.

“What?” he asks.

“I’m staying with Veronica and her mom at the Pembrooke and I just don’t really feel like going back there right now.” she explains quickly.

Jughead stands there for a moment looking around as if the answer might be hanging in the air around him. In truth, he doesn’t want her to leave, especially not as upset as she seems.

“Well listen, I have to get back in there, but there’s a room in the back, it’s like a dressing room. You can hang out there if you want until I’m done and then maybe we could go get a bite to eat and talk, or not talk. Whatever. It’s completely up to you.” he says rubbing the back of neck.

Betty looks up at him through damp lash’s, her emerald green eyes shining just as bright as they were the last time he looked into them like this, only now they aren’t so sad.

“That sounds... perfect. Thank you.” she finally says.

He leads her back inside and off to the room he had been stashed in before the show started. He tells her to help herself to the water and snacks they had left for him and that it should only be another hour or so before he’s done. As he walks out of the room he’s acutely aware that he’s now more nervous about going to get food with Betty after his show than he was for the show itself, but he’s not exactly ready to face the reasons why.

He walks back into the main room, wiping his sweaty palms on his pants when a familiar voice calls him from behind.

“There’s the man of the hour!” Toni says, her hand linked with Cheryl’s as they approach.

“Hey guys, thank you for coming.” he says, giving each of them hug.

“Like we would ever miss this.” Toni replies, hugging him back.“So um... did you know?” she adds, gesturing over to her shoulder where Veronica and Archie are standing.

He groans and rolls his eyes. “No I didn’t until like ten minutes ago. Did you?” he questions, aiming it at Cheryl.

“Don’t look at me. All of mine and Veronica’s conversations for the last year have been about the wedding. I’m just as shocked as you are.” she replies.

“Yeah, well, no one is as shocked as Betty was.”

“Betty was here?” Cheryl and Toni say at the same time.

“Yea she still is actually. She’s in the back. Apparently she was just as in the dark as the rest of us and is pretty upset about it.” he explains.

Cheryl and Toni exchange a look he chooses to ignore. “I’ll catch up with you guys in a few. Enjoy the show.” he says before walking off.

For the next hour or so, he spends his time shaking hands with people he’s never met and exchanging hugs with the people in his photos who were invited. Fangs and Sweet Pea joke about who he photographed the most and Frank tells him again how proud he is of him. It’s all he can do to stay in the moment and not think about the fact that Betty is off in a room waiting for him or that he drove his bike here and subsequent thoughts of Betty on the back with her arms wrapped around him.

When the show comes to an end, Kathy informs him that nearly all of his photos had been sold.

“Wow really?” he asks.

In truth, he hadn’t expected that. The whole night had been sort of unreal, even from the very start of planning it, and he never really let himself think about the idea of people actually liking his stuff.

“Yes Jughead! Your work is amazing. Stop doubting that.” she replies, placing a caring hand on his shoulder. “Now you go ahead and enjoy the rest of your night. We’ll take care of everything else form here.”

“Thank you Kathy, for everything.” he says and he means it.

“You are very welcome Jughead.”

As he makes his way back to the room he had left Betty in, he can’t help the nerves that have taken up residence in his gut. The whole night had been a testament of his willpower and ability to not reach for something to soothe those aching nerves or calm his shaking hands. He had purposely hit up a meeting before coming here tonight, knowing full well that between seeing Betty and having his life’s work on display he would need some sobering perspective.

Not only has he seen Betty though, she was now waiting for him, and they were going to be going to get food and talk. Talk. Something he’s been wanting to do with her since the day he got out of rehab two years ago. He had thought about reaching out then, and again when he started completing his steps, but everytime his thoughts came back to the same conclusion: it wouldn’t be fair to her.

He’s not sure what’s changed now. Maybe it’s seeing her, wearing that red dress that hugged all the curves of her body he could never seem to forget after the night they had finally given into each other. It’s like a tape that’s stuck on repeat, crashing to the forefront of his mind every time his lips meet with another’s, or his hands roam over the planes of another person’s body.

_ “Juggie, what's wrong?”  _

_ She’s staring up at him with those brilliant emerald eyes he’s always been powerless to ignore and maybe it’s the rain that’s just started to make it’s rhythm against the metal trailer or the fact that in a short week this will all be over and Betty will be leaving with Veronica, but he feels something start to uncoil inside of him. _

_ He wants to tell her that he loves her, that he’s probably always loved her, and that if this were a different universe and he wasn’t who he it, he’d promise to give her the world and take care of her, but as he stands there in that dirty trailer, the visual reminders of his father and who he’s destined to become scattered around him like shards of glass he has to tiptoe around, he can’t bring his mouth to form the words. _

_ She’s still looking at him though, her eyes flitting back and forth between his eyes and his lips and he knows she’s expecting something so he does the only thing he can do, he kisses her. _

_ Their lips meet in a crash that could ignite flames and he pours all of himself into that kiss. Betty responds almost instantly, her hands reaching up behind his head and finding purchase in his overgrown hair at the nape of his neck. It sends shivers down his spine and when her tongue finds his, there’s a churning in his gut he can’t control. _

_ His hands are everywhere, not ever feeling as though he can get enough. He moves them from her face, to her waist, down the small curve of her lower back, and when he reaches her ass, he squeezes and instinctively lifts her to him. It takes him less than a minute to carry her to his bedroom and for a moment he thinks about all the times he had envisioned this moment and how every time it took place in Betty’s pastel pink room, and not once in his small closet of a bedroom, on his air mattress on the floor. It’s not smooth or romantic, but it’s them, getting lost in eachother for the first, and possibly the only time and he pushes all other thoughts to the back of his head. _

_ Betty kisses him like she’s been waiting to do it her whole life and he feels his heart twists in his chest. His hand moves lower, below the waistband of her shorts and she lets out a soft moan and he wants to record that sound and play it on a loop for the rest of his life. _

_ _ _ It doesn’t take long for her to come undone under his touch and Jughead watches as she writhes and squirms, her pink bee stung lips parting ever so slightly to release a string of moans and whimpers like a prayer to some unknown being. It’s in that moment he wants to reach for his camera, to capture her exactly like this, the way only he has seen her now. _

_ They fumble around undressing each other the rest of the way, a new shyness coming over them once all clothes have been discarded. When he positions himself at her entrance, he pauses, looking down at her, searching her eyes for a sign that she’s okay, that this is okay, that they will be okay. _

_ She reaches up and places a hand on his face, cupping his cheek. “Please Juggie.” It’s a plea, and though he’s not exactly sure for what, he eases himself into her anyway. _

_ They make love and he does his best to go slow, not wanting to hurt her. It’s not like it is in the movies, there’s no soft music playing, no mood lighting or expertely placed sheets covering certain body parts. It’s awkward, and incredible, and over way to soon. _

_ When they are done Betty curls up next to him, resting her head on his chest. Jughead tries to stay present, to feel content as she drifts off to sleep, but when her breath levels out, deepening, and he knows she asleep, he can’t help the urge to sneak away into the kitchen, to bury all his emotion in a half empty bottle sitting on the counter. _

_ When morning comes he takes one final look at her before leaving, reminding himself that it’s for the best. _

He’s standing in front of the door to the dressing room trying to calm his shaky hands. Realizing it’s a useless effort, he grabs the silver handle and opens the door. Betty is curled up in a ball on the small black couch and his breath hitches at the sight. Her hair, which she wore down in soft waves, is strewn across her face and his finger twitch to reach out and brush them away.

“Betty,” he says softly, placing the lightest of touches on her shoulder. Her skin is warm and smooth and he had to work hard to ignore it. “Betty,” he says a little louder, this time causing her to stir a bit.

She sits up slowly and Jughead stands back giving her some space, “Jughead?” 

Her voice is hoarse and his name sounds different for some reason.

“You fell asleep.” he offers, taking a seat on the armchair across from the couch.

“How long was I out?” she asks, doing her best to smooth her hair and dress.

“I only left you a little over an hour ago, so not long I don’t think.”

“Oh okay.” she says smiling, though it doesn’t reach her sleepy eyes.

“Let’s go get some food. I know a place.”

Betty nods her head and stands, waiting for him to lead the way. He takes one final look at her before heading toward the exit, counting backward from ten to try and keep a level head.

The air between them feels thick with tension and what he really wants to do is turn around and tell her how sorry he is and how much he still loves her but he can’t. He knows it wouldn’t be fair, so he keeps his head forward and leads her through the building until they are outside.

___________________________

“You rode your bike here?”

Betty is standing a short distance away from Jughead and his bike, wearing a slinky red dress with black heels. It’s mid May but the air is still cool and she’s trying hard not to shiver. The idea of getting on the back of Jughead’s bike is not helping.

“Yea, it’s my only mode of transportation.” he says, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

He opens the small compartment in the back, digging around for a moment before he pulls out a small black helmet that, even from this far in the dark Betty can tell is hers.

“I uh, I keep it on me as a spare, just in case.” he says as an explanation.

Betty takes a few steps forward, closing the small space between her and Jughead, and takes the helmet from his hands. She turns it over in her hand, finding spot inside where she had written her name almost instantly. Another shiver rolls through her body and this time she’s unable to hide it.

“You’re cold.” he says.

“No.” She replies, and it’s not a lie. Standing this close to him, to his bike, her entire body feels like it’s on fire.

“I can just call an Uber.” he says reaching to take the helmet from her hands. She pulls away, frowning.

For a moment she just stares at his bike. It’s a 1975 Honda CB550. They had found it when they were 15, searching the local junk yard for parts for the project car Betty and her dad had been working on. It was rusted, missing parts, and didn’t run. They had spent the next year working on it but over time life and all it’s unpleasantness had gotten in the way.

_ “Jughead Jones, get out here!” she calls from outside the trailer. _

_ It’s Jughead’s 17th birthday and she’s been up all night finishing the paint job on the bike they found in the junkyard two years ago. It’s been months since he’s been over to work on it with her, but she wanted this to be special for him. _

_ _ _ “Betty?” Jughead asks as he opens the door to the trailer. His eyes immediately light up, “Is that? No way! You finished it?” _

_ “Yeah!” she says as he nearly jumps down the stairs and runs over to her, “I finished up the paint job last night.” _

_ He’s smiling wider than she’s seen him smile in years and she wants to commit it to her memory. Since they were just kids Jughead has been talking about getting a motorcycle. She knows it probably mostly has something to do with his dad, who rides a Harley Sportster of his own, and started teaching Jughead how to ride when he was only 13, but she also knows there’s a part of him who finds freedom in being on a bike. _

_ “This is incredible Betty!” he says finally, swooping her up into a bear hug and spinning her around. If only he knew she’d move heaven and earth to keep that smile on his face. _

_ “I’m so glad you like it.” she replies, flushed, once he puts her down. _

_ He stares down at her, his eyes searching her own and for a moment she thinks he might kiss her, she hopes, but then he smiles again and pulls her into another hug. _

_ “Well, let's go, I’ll drive us to school!” he says once he finally lets her go. _

_ “Jug I think you should put actual clothes on first.” she says laughing, gesturing to his pajama pants. _

_ “Oh shit, right. Be right back.” _

“No,” she says finally, bringing herself back to the present. “Let’s take the bike.”

Betty straps the helmet to her head, silently thankful she had decided to wear her hair down tonight instead of in her usual ponytail. Jughead pulls out an old flannel from the compartment on the back of his bike where her helmet had been stored and tells her to put it on, that the ride will be cold. It’s incredibly wrinkled and she can tell it’s probably been in there a while but it smells exactly like she remembers him smelling and she has to try hard to stop herself from burying her nose in it.

Jughead climbs on first, pulling his own helmet over his head, before reaching out a hand to help her on. It’s not the first time she’s been on the back of his bike, having ridden everywhere with him after that birthday, but it is the first time she’s done it in a dress and heels so she takes extra care in stepping up and swinging her leg around. She moves as close to Jughead as she can stand, thankful for his flannel and it’s length covering her now exposed upper thighs. Once she’s settled, Jughead brings the bike to life and waits for her to hold on. She takes a steadying breath and leans forward onto his back, wrapping her arms around his waist. He’s warm and Betty’s heart rate picks up speed. 

A moment later they pull out onto the road and Betty closes her eyes, letting the wind wash away the worry of the night. It almost seems unreal. A few hours ago she was leaving the Pembrooke, feeling guilty for lying to Veronica but determined to simply see Jughead and leave quickly. Now she’s on the back of his bike, headed to get food and talk, after finding out that Veronica had been lying to her for a whole year.

The sting of that lie feels fresh all over again and Betty takes in a deep breath. Veronica had known the truth about Betty and Jughead for a whole year and said nothing. She said nothing the first night they ran into him, and nothing again the day he served them at Pop’s. Surely Veronica had to know that Betty was in pain, that this trip was almost equally as difficult for her as Betty had assumed it would be for Veronica.

The thought makes Betty’s stomach bubble with rage. This entire time she’s been walking around on eggshells around Veronica, taking care not to mention Archies name and almost actively avoiding Jughead as to not make Veronica mad, when the truth was that her and Archie had been fine, better than fine if the hand holding earlier had been any indication.

Nearly thirty minutes later Jughead pulls the bike into the parking lot at Pop’s. The lights on the outside and inside the building are off, indicating it’s clearly closed, and Betty is confused. He pulls around the back, parking the bike right in front of the back door.

“I thought we were getting food.” Betty says once he’s cut the engine.

“We are.” He replies simply, helping her off the bike.

“Pop’s is closed though.” She says removing her helmet.

He takes it and places it on the seat, alongside his own. Betty watches him, waiting for a reply, as he searches for a key on his key ring, when she realizes that he must have a key. Once inside, he moves around turning on different lights, and turning the knob on of the the grills to get it hot. Betty takes a moment to look around, remembering when she and Veronica worked here back in high school.

“So, breakfast?” He asks, rolling up his sleeves and Betty laughs.

“Are you going to cook?” She asks, placing a hand on her hip.

“Yes I am. I’m thinking hashbrowns, eggs, pancakes.” He replies, moving around the kitchen, gathering the necessary items.

“You don’t know how to cook Jughead.” She’s still somewhat in shock at the sight of Jughead in a kitchen doing something other than eating, the memories of him nearly burning down the trailer one morning when he tried to make pasta making its way to the forefront of her mind.

“Ah, I didn’t know how to cook. I do now.” He replies simply.

“Since when?”

“Since I got out of rehab and started working at Pop’s.” he explains, wiping his hand on a towel. “He got sick not too long after and I had to step up and take on more responsibilities, one of them being the cooking. Sweet Pea does it now, but I still enjoy doing it from time to time.”

The word ‘rehab’ leaves his mouth so casually and without flourish she almost doesn’t know if she’s heard him right.

“Rehab?” she repeats as a question.

“Yeah.” he replies quickly, not looking back at her. She waits for more of an explanation but it never comes. “Why don’t you go on up front and pick a booth. This won’t take me long. Do you remember where the silverware is?”

“Uh, yeah. Okay.” she says after a beat before retreating to the front of the diner.

It’s dark, illuminated only by the emergency lights above the soda fountain and all along the base of the counter under the chairs. Betty heads behind the counter to where she knows the silverware is, and pulls out enough for the two of them before making her way over to a booth. Once she’s sitting, she pulls off her shoes, pulling her legs up into a criss cross position and wrapping the flannel more securely around her.

The word ‘rehab’ replays in her mind over and over again. It hasn’t gone unnoticed to her that Jughead’s eyes seem brighter no longer bloodshot like they had been the last time she looked into them. The bags underneath them, though still there, weren’t nearly as deep and purple as they had always been and overall he looked healthier, more filled out in the chest and arm area.

She knew in high school he had a problem with alcohol. Over time it had become more and more clear, the bloodshot eyes, the smell, the random clumsiness he seemed to take on. Looking back, it probably should have been clear the first time she saw him blisteringly drunk, at Reggies party, but it wasn’t until a few weeks after that when she really knew.

_ It’s January, the first week back at school after winter vacation her junior year and Betty can’t wait to get back to work at the Blue and Gold. In truth, she’s just happy to be at school, away from her house where the yelling and screaming that was once muffled through closed doors now takes place out in the open, often accompanied by flying dishes and glasses, crashing against whatever surface they had been hurled at. _

_ The first day of vacation Polly, her older sister, had marched downstairs and promptly announced to her parents that she was pregnant with Jason Blossom’s baby. From that moment on Betty’s house felt more like a war zone than a home. Her mom and dad, who were already distant and cold toward each other, now openly faught about Polly and the baby. Her dad insisted she get an abortion, something that sent Betty’s mother into a fit of rage, screaming about the choices he tried to make for her when they were young and how she wouldn’t let him do the same to Polly. _

_ _ _ Christmas Eve night Betty’s dad left with the slamming of a door and the next morning, as she sat in the living room staring at the empty floor in front of her tree, she could hear her mother and Polly screaming at each other. It wasn’t long after that that Polly left, in the same manner her father had, carrying a large suitcase. Her mother never even came downstairs. _

_ Being back at school felt like the actual vacation. _

_ Betty enters the Blue and Gold office to find it empty. She was expecting Jughead to already be there. It’s not until later that day, when she’s back in the office during her free period when Jughead comes walking in, looking like complete shit. _

_ “Where have you been all day Jug?” she asks placing her hands on her hip. _

_ “I overslept.” he says, thought his speech is slightly slurred. _

_ As he comes closer, Betty’s nostrils are assaulted with the smell of stale beer. She takes in Jughead’s disheveled look, his inability to make eye contact with her, and comes to a conclusion. _

_ “Are you drunk?” she nearly yells at him. _

_ “No!” he says, the offense in his tone clear as day. _

_ “Don’t lie to me Jughead, I can smell the alcohol on you!” she yells, gesturing toward his clothes. _

_ “I... I spilled beer on myself cleaning up my dad’s mess. Why would I be drunk in the middle of a school day Betty?” _

_ She knows it’s a lie. His words, try as he might to keep them smooth, come out stuttered and slurred. _

_ “Jug.” She says, taking a step toward him. _

_ “I have to get to class.” he says, completely dismissing her. _

_ With that he leaves and Betty stands there, unsure of what to think or do. _

Betty closes her eyes, willing the memory to go away. It was later that day that she came home to her mom and dad in another screaming match, effectively pushing all thoughts of Jughead and his growing problem to the back of her mind.

Jughead comes out from the kitchen, a pile of plates balanced expertely in his arms.

“Here ya go.” he says, placing the plates on the table. “Drink? I don’t have anything warm made up but there’s water and orange juice.”

“Orange juice sounds good.” Betty replies.

She watches him move easily behind the counter, filling two small glasses with the orange liquid. In the dim lighting of the diner at night, he looks older. The fine lines on his face seem somehow more prominent than she had noticed before.

“Thank you. This all looks delicious.” she says as he places the glasses on the table, taking his seat across from her.

“No problem. Like I said, I like cooking.” He says quickly before diving into his food.

Betty watches for a moment as he concentrates hard on his food, shoveling bite after bite in. Jughead has always been somewhat of a medical marvel with his ability to eat copious amounts of food in one sitting, multiple times a day, and not get sick or gain a pound. Betty remembers a time when Archie had dared him to eat ten whole hot dogs, bun included, and he did, with room to spare and was complaining he was hungry not even an hour later. It was nice to know that some things hadn’t changed.

She doesn’t realize she’s staring until he looks up at her, mouth full of pancakes. “What?”

“Nothing, just... I was thinking about the time Archie dared you to eat all those hot dogs.” she admits, feeling her cheeks burn.

Jughead’s expression shifts, almost lightens and a small smile spreads across his face as he swallows. “They weren’t even cooked all the way. I can’t believe I did that.” he laughs and she thinks it’s the best sound her ears have heard in years.

They eat in a relatively comfortable silence until both of their plates are empty. Jughead leans back, untucking his dress shirt from his pants and Betty tries hard not to stare. He’s always been extremely attractive to her, with his dark hair and light eyes, but now, as a full blown adult, he was down right sexy. He has filled out more in the chest and arm area, though not in an overtly muscular way like Archie. He was still lean, but she guessed underneath the dress shirt he was cut and well defined. For a moment her imagination gets away from her and she has to shake her head to stop herself from thinking about what he looks like now with his shirt off.

“You okay?” he asks, clearly noticing.

“Yeah sorry.” She bites her bottom lip.

She knows they came here to talk but now that it’s time she’s feels almost strangled, like she has no words to say and can’t calm her nerves enough to even think straight. As she’s chewing the bottom of her lip thoughtfully the same word from before tumbles around in her mind.

“You um, you said before you were in rehab?”she asks apprehensively. It was information that he had given freely, though without much context, and she hopes it’s an okay starting point.

He takes a deep breath, running his hand through his hair, before letting out a long sigh and getting up. He takes their plates to the kitchen and for a moment Betty thinks he’s isn’t going to answer her.

“Coffee?” he asks when he returns from the kitchen.

“Yes, please.”

He turns toward coffee machine, reaching below to place a large filter in the top. He scoops a generous amount of grinds into the filter before closing it. He fills the carafe from the water dispenser and then dumps it into basin. With the flick of a switch the machine starts whirring to life, quickly spilling the hot brown liquid into the pot. He doesn’t wait for it to be completely filled before pulling the carafe, replacing it with another one, and pours the coffee into two small cups. He grabs a small bowl of creamer and makes his way back over to the table.

He takes a tentative sip of his black coffee while Betty pours in a small amount of creamer before he begins to speak.

“I got out of rehab about two years ago.” he  finally says, his hands wrapped around his mug. Betty busies herself with stirring her coffee, giving him time to go on. “I was in there for about two months, for alcohol addiction obviously. I’ve been sober for two years, three months, and-” he pauses, using his finger to counts, “-five days.”

Betty isn’t sure what to say. While she had known he had issues with alcohol, the truth is she had never realized it might be that serious, serious enough to require intervention like rehab. She takes a steadying breath before bringing her eyes up to meet his. “Wow, Jug. I... I don’t really know what to say.” she admits.

“It’s okay, you don’t have to say anything really.” he says before taking another sip of his coffee.

She knows he means well but a part of her feels guilty. Guilty for not seeing the signs, guilty for not being here for him. 

“That must have been really hard to do.” she says finally.

“It was and it wasn’t. A lot of people say that withdrawal is the hardest part but for me, the hardest part came after. I’m in a program now called Alcoholics Anonymous. I have a sponsor and I go to meetings and all that, but what I found the most difficult was facing all of my emotions. Even the good ones.”

“What do you mean?” Betty asks.

In truth she has little to know knowledge on addiction of any kind other than what she had seen form FP, Jughead’s father, growing up.

“I became addicted to alcohol because I was using it to avoid feeling. It started after my mom left.” He explains, again running a hand over the back of his neck.

A metaphorical light bulb turns on in Betty’s mind. 

“Reggies party.” she says softly.

Jughead nods slightly. “Yea that was basically the start. For like the first time ever it felt good being drunk. A part of me, the sick part, was starting to understand why my dad was the way he was. I didn’t feel anything. I didn’t feel angry, or sad, or upset, and I could push the thoughts of my mom and everything else to the back of my mind and it was almost relaxing.”

Betty feels like she’s been hit with a brick. “I didn’t know Jug.”

“No one knew Betty. That was kind of the point. Addiction thrives in secret.”

“I know but still, we were best friends. I knew you had problems, but I never knew it was that bad. I should have.” She can’t help the tears that start to take form in her eyes.

“Please don’t cry.” he says, lifting his hand slightly and for a moment Betty thinks he might reach out and touch her, cradle her face in that same way he used to, but he drops it as if he thought better.

She blinks away the tears before they get the chance to fall, taking another sip of her coffee. “I’m glad you made the decision to get help.” she says after swallowing.

Jughead snorts. “Well Archie, Toni, and Sweet Pea didn’t really leave me any choice. The last year before I went in had been getting worse and worse. I had ended up in the hospital one night after getting drunk one night and blacking out. They basically told me I was going to rehab whether I wanted to or not. Sweet Pea threatened to carry me there over his shoulder and Archie,” Jughead pauses for a moment. “Well Archie made it very clear if I didn’t get help he would be done with me. I had already lost so many people...” he trails off and Betty can’t help the pang of guilt she feels.

Just then her phone starts ringing beside her, causing them both to jump as it echoes in the silence. It was Veronica. She honestly didn’t expect her to call tonight. She holds up a finger to Jughead before answering.

“What do you want Veronica?” she wants to make it very clear she’s still angry with her.

“Seriously? That’s how you’re answering the phone for me? Where are you?” she asks with clipped tone.

“I’m out.” she answers monotoned.

“With who?” Veronica asks.

“That’s none of your business,” she snaps.

“So Jughead then. Are you coming back to the Pembrooke tonight? We need to talk Betty. I-” Veronica’s voice seems to transform into a softer tone. “- need explain everything to you.” 

Betty laughs. “You’ve had the last year Veronica to do that and you didn’t. I... I don’t even know what to say. I just need time.” She says and then hangs up before letting Veronica reply. She quickly turns her phone off.

“You alright?” Jughead asks.

Betty thinks on it for a moment. “No, actually I’m not. I can’t believe her.” She sucks in her bottom lip, trapping it between her teeth while simultaneously spreading her hands out flat on her thighs. She hasn’t hurt herself or dug her fingers into her palms in over three years but she feels almost on the verge of a breakdown and it’s all she can do to stop.

“About that, Betty can I ask you something?” Jughead’s asks after clearing his throat.

“What is it?” There’s a look on his face she doesn’t quite understand.

“Why didn’t you tell Veronica what happened between us?”

Now it’s Betty’s turn to explain. She brings her hands up to her cup of coffee, purposely placing them around it, an action Jughead seems to take notice of.

“I was embarrassed.” She says simply, looking down at the light brown liquid in her cup.

“Why were you embarrassed?” She can sense the hurt in Jughead’s voice.

This a conversation she’s wanted to have with Jughead since the day she left. She’s dreamt about it, planned it out in her head, and talked about it at length with her therapist back in Manhattan but now that’s it actually happening she can’t for the life of her form a coherent thought. Everything feels jumbled and confused and she doesn’t want to say the wrong thing.

Just then Jughead’s phone rings and she feels an overwhelming feeling of relief when he answers it.

“Hey Arch, whats up?” he says into his phone.

She figures Archie’s probably calling to see if Betty is with him.

“Uhh...” Jughead looks up at her with question and she nods her head, letting him know it’s okay to tell Archie. “Yeah she’s here with me.”

“I don’t know man.” he says, shaking his head. “Yeah I’m alright. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

He hangs up and Betty offer him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry, this isn’t drama you need. It doesn’t even involve you. I’m just gonna call my sister.” She says, reaching into her purse and pulling her phone out to turn it back on. “She should still be up. I can probably crash on her couch.”

“Betty.” he says, and this time he does reach out and touch her. Betty feels her entire body warm as an almost electric pulse shoots through her skin where his hands is touching her. He must feel it to because he pulls his hand back quickly. “It’s almost midnight. You can crash at my place if you want.”

She takes a moment to consider his offer before answering. “Okay.”

Jughead smiles before getting up to clean up after them. No too long after Betty is back on the back of his bike, the wind blowing against her face. She knows she shouldn’t, but she can’t help but feel excited and a little nervous about the prospect of spending more time with him.

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait between updates! I actually wrote two more chapters, I'm like 6 chapters ahead now, and then got busy with life! I'm thinking there will be another update either tomorrow or the day after! I want to thank everyone for the comments, they mean so much to me! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

Jughead parks his bike a little ways down from his building. It’s a tall corner brownstown on a historic street in downtown Riverdale that had been converted to house a number of loft style apartments and he always counts his lucky stars when he’s able to get a spot anywhere near his door. If it hadn’t been for him working at Pop’s when Pop Tate fell ill and subsequently needing him to take over, then when his dad’s trailer had been foreclosed on six months after he got out of rehab, he would have already moved out of Riverdale. As it were though, he couldn’t let Pop down, so when an apartment on one of his favorite streets in Riverdale opened up, he took it.

While Riverdale was split into two main halves, the Northside and the Southside, each of them had their own unique sections. Southside had the trailer park and an area known as Bigleaf, names after the type maple trees that filled the woods behind it where there were blocks upon blocks of row homes. Northside had the suburbs with it’s big two story houses and their perfectly cut front lawns, where Betty and Archie grew up, and than the part of town where he lives now, called Downtown even though it’s the most north in Riverdale you can get.

Downtown, which is really just one long historic tree lined street, is made up of local businesses and brownstones like the one Jughead lives in. It was the one place in Riverdale that didn’t feel like Riverdale and he figured if he was going to stay, this would be the best place.

He leads Betty up the front stoop, stopping at the door to unlock it. They take the elevator to the top floor, where his apartment his located. It’s a one bedroom loft with high ceiling framed by large wood beams. The living space is a completely open floor plan, with the kitchen and a small eating area off to one side and the designated living room space on the other side. There's a row of tall windows along one wall and a sliding glass doors that lead to a balcony on the connecting wall. Even without its perfect location Jughead would have chosen this place based on aesthetics alone.

“Wow Jug, this place is gorgeous,” Betty says a minute after they enter.

She’s standing a few feet from the door, his old flannel wrapped around her over her red dress. He knows it’s ridiculous, especially given their history, but the feeling of seeing her standing there in his apartment looking the way she does is doing things to him he knows he should be actively trying to ignore.

He doesn’t know what made him invite her. Something about the sadness in her eyes and their conversation right before Archie called made him not want to let her go just yet. He isn’t sure if he’s going to get this type of a chance again, especially after he tells her everything, so he wants to hold onto it as long as possible.

“Just make yourself comfortable,” he says before dipping into his bedroom.

He takes a moment to calm his nerves, counting backwards from ten. He pulls out a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt for her to wear before coming back out.

“Here.” he says handing them to her. “You can change in the bathroom. Third door on the right.” He says pointing back toward the direction he just came from.

“Thank you,” she says before disappearing down the hallway.

He waits to hear the click of the door before heading back into his room and quickly changing into a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt. Once changed, he grabs a pillow of his bed, and pulls a large blanket from his hall closet. He places them down on the couch just as Betty is returning from the bathroom.

“You can take my bed, it’s more comfortable. I usually pass out on the couch anyway so it’s no biggie.” he says, unfolding the blanket.

“I can take the couch Jug, it’s fine. I don’t want to put you out.” she replies biting her bottom lip.

She’s standing there in his light grey sweatpants and his black S t-shirt, her hair now pulled up into a bun, and for a brief moment he’s transported back in time.

_ Jughead wakes to a loud knocking on the door of the trailer. At first, he thinks it’s just in his dream so he rolls over and tries to fall back to sleep but than it happens again and he’s knows it’s real. He rolls out bed, checking the time on the stove as he passes through the kitchen the the front door. It’s nearly 2:00am on Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning, and he’s not sure who, besides one of the Serpents would be knocking at his door at this hour. _

_ When he swings the door open he’s met with the image of Betty, puffy face, and swollen eyes, with her jacket wrapped tightly around her. _

_ “Betty?” he asks, opening the door and pulling her in. “What are you doing here? Are you okay?” He gives her a once over, trying to find the reasons she’s crying and here at his trailer in the middle of the night. _

_ “I can’t take it anymore Jug.” She sniffles and wipes her nose. When she does, he sees a bright streak of blood on the palm of her hands. _

_ Without thinking, he reaches out and takes it in his, observing the damage she’d done. There’s four swollen and bleeding crescent moon shaped cuts on her palms and when he lifts up her sleeve, he sees fresh but no longer bleeding gashes on her wrist. He clenched his jaw tight and leads her into the bathroom. _

_ He had discovered that Betty had been harming herself two months ago, right before the start of their senior year. He tried to get her to tell her mom or talk to someone but she refused so he made her promise she would always call him first. Clearly she hadn’t listened. _

_ “What happened Betty?” he asks, grabbing the first aid kit from under the bathroom sink. _

_ “I go a C on my Spanish quiz.” she says without emotion. _

_ _ _ “Okay?” He doesn’t understand. _

_ “That’s not good enough. Not for Alice. She spent the night screaming at me and berating me. Without Polly there I’m all alone. I just couldn’t take it anymore.” _

_ His chest feels tight. As a kid he always thought Betty had the perfect life but as they got older he learned more and more about the truth lying just below the surface. Alice was a cold woman who expected nothing but perfection from her daughters so much so that it drove Polly to teen pregnancy and Betty to harming herself. He hated Alice for Betty. _

_ “I’m sorry Betts.” he says, not knowing what else to say. _

_ When he’s finished wrapping up her hands and wrist he pulls her into a tight hug. He wishes he could take her pain away but as the remnants of his inability to deal with his own shit fill up the recycling bin out back he knows he ill equipped to help her. _

_ “Can I stay here tonight Jug?” she asks, looking up with him with her bright emerald eyes glistening from the tears shed shed and he’s powerless to say no to her. _

_ “Of course.” _

_ He takes her hand and leads her into his room where he pulls out sweat pants and a t-shirt for her to sleep in. After she’s changed he offers to let her take the bed and he’ll take the couch but she reaches for him and tells him they can share. He’s sleeps better that night with his arms wrapped around Betty than he had in months. _

_ It’s the first of many times that she shows up at his trailer wanting to stay with him. _

“Really it’s fine Betts, take the bed.” he says, the nickname spurred on by the sense of nostalgia overwhelming him at the sight of her in his clothes. He also can’t help but flick his eyes down to her wrist, wondering if she ever got the help she needed.

She seems to notice this. “I don’t do that anymore.” she says.

“What?” He responds because he’s not sure what else to say.

She holds up her arms, palms facing outward, taking a step forward to give him a better look. Her palms and wrists are littered with white scars but there’s nothing fresh. “I’ve been in therapy for the last 3 years. I’m better now.”

There’s a sense of relief that washes over him and he lets out a breath he doesn’t realize he’s been holding in. Before he can stop himself he’s reaching out a hand, running his finger tips over the small crescent moon shaped scars on her right palm. They were always the worst.

Betty sucks in a short breath and he drops his hand quick, realizing he may have crossed a line.

“Well, I’ll just go head in to bed then. Good night Jughead.” she says, wiping her palms on legs as if she wants to wipe away his touch and he internally winces.

“Goodnight Betty.” he replies.

A moment later she disappears down the hall. Jughead runs his hands through his hair and down his face, sighing. This day had turned out to be so much more than he had planned. He’s tired to the point of exhaustion but he knows if he lays down now he won’t be able to fall asleep. He needs to find a way to clear his head so he makes himself some hot tea, a choice he figures is way better than coffee, and heads out onto the balcony. It’s a cool night but not too cold and he takes a seat on one of his lounge chair.

As he looks out onto the quiet side street below. The street lamps cast a yellow orange glow onto the dark street giving it an almost noir cinema vibe and he lets his mind drift. He can’t deny that these last few hours with Betty have been enjoyable, even if they have also been stressful. They still need to talk, he needs to apologize to her for what happened and tell her the truth about why he joined the Serpents and why his dad left, but he thinks they are at least on the right track.

He tries hard not to let his mind drift to the fact that she’s currently in his bed, wearing his clothes, and the electricity he felt early when he touched her arm. He refuses to even let himself dream about possibly going there with her. He knew then and he knows it now, Betty deserves more than he could ever possibly give.

In truth, he hasn’t let himself go there with anyone since he got out of rehab. Before, when he was neck deep in active addiction, he dated Sabrina. She was a girl from the Southside that had moved away before high school but moved back the summer after he graduated. She would come to the Whyte Wyrm, the bar the Serpents owned and operated out of, and get drunk with her friends and flirt with him. He liked the attention and it wasn’t long before he was taking her back to his trailer. They were on and off again for a little over a year, their relationship growing more and more toxic, before she finally told him she was done.

She wanted him to tell her he loved her, to make her promises about the future he couldn’t keep, and look at her the way she looked at him but the truth was he simply couldn't. Even without the alcohol he couldn’t give her his heart because it had left him the day Betty did. He didn’t beg her to stay and didn’t really feel anything when she did. Since then, he’s become comfortable with the notion that he’ll never love another woman the way he loves Betty and that it wouldn’t be fair to start anything with someone else when he knows how it will end.

Of course, that’s not to say he doesn’t have sex. He’s a 23 year old guy and a good looking one at that. He’s had his fair share of one night stands and girls who hung around for just that, sex, but nothing ever went further than that, because he never let it.

After about an hour of sitting on the balcony, when he can no longer hold his eyelids open, he retreats back into his living room to lay down on his couch. He falls asleep to images of blonde hair and green eyes playing on a loop in his mind.

_____________________________

Betty wakes up to the smell of bacon. It takes her a moment to remember where she is, Jughead’s bed, not Veronica’s guest bed at the Pembrooke. She had fallen asleep fairly quickly last night, cocooned in the scent of Jughead.

She sits up and stretches a bit before leaning over the side of the bed to pull her phone from her purse and turn it back on. He turns on quickly and she’s hit with an onslaught of messages from Veronica, some from last night, but the majority form this morning.

**Veronica:** I can’t believe you aren’t even going to come home.

**Veronica:** Could you at least reply so I know you’re safe.

**Veronica:** I assume you’re staying at Jughead’s. I’ll see you tomorrow.

Then this morning there are more, reminding her that she promised to help Chery write her vows today. Betty groans at the reminder. She had only agreed to get Cheryl to leave her alone. She may be writer, but poetry and love letter weren’t her thing, which was basically what vows were. Having not even been in love (other than with Jughead) or in a relationship she’s not sure she’s equipped to help Cheryl. Still, she’ll be there, so she types back a quick text to Veronica saying just that.

She places her phone back in her purse before leaving the room. When she enters the main living area, she stops in her tracks. Jughead is behind the counter, slipping pancakes in a pan, wearing headphones and ever so slightly bobbing along to the music. In all the time she’s known him, not once has she ever seen him dance or even tap his foot to music. It’s a sight to behold and she can’t the wide smile that forms across her face.

He must feel her presence because after a moment he looks up, eyes locking with hers as a red flush takes over his cheeks. He’s momentarily distracted and somehow manages to touch the side of the pan with his bare hand. “Ah shit!” he yells out shaking his hands.

Betty feels instantly guilt and rushes over to him. She takes his hands between hers as she turns the sink on, holding his palm under the cold water.

“Ahh.” Jughead says in pain as he removes his headphone.

“Sorry.” Betty says.

“It’s okay.” he says turning his face toward hers.

Betty suddenly realizes their faces are a mere inches apart. She can feel his breath on her mouth and she would only have to lean forward fractionally to place her lips on his. His eyes flick to her lips and she instinctively licks them, feeling a warmth spread over her entire body.

“Pancakes.” he says.

“What?” she replies.

“The pancakes, they’re gonna burn.” he replies seeming to snap out of whatever trance they had been in.

Betty does too and quickly moves over to the stove flipping the pancakes in the pan. They aren’t burnt thankfully. Jughead shuts off the water and heads toward the direction of the bathroom. She quickly looks around, spotting two plates off the side, and places a pancake on each before pouring more batter into the pan.

“Sorry if I woke you. I usually listen to music in the morning while I cook so I figured I’d use my headphones.” he explains, wrapping a white bangand around his hand.

“You didn't. Your bacon did.” she says gesturing toward the plate full of freshly cooked bacon with the spatula.

“Ah. I see.” He says as he comes around the counter. “Here I got it.” 

Betty hands over the spatula and then takes a seat on the other side at the breakfast bar.

“Your apartment is so gorgeous Jug.” she says looking around. It really is a nice place and v _ ery _ Jughead she thinks.

“Thanks. It’s definitely better than a trailer.” he says before plating more pancakes.

Betty simply smiles wringing her hands together.

“So, how’d you sleep?” he asks suddenly.

“Really good actually. The mattress at the Pembrooke is really firm. Yours is super soft.” She leaves out the part about it smelling like him.

“Firm mattresses are the worst. I want to completely sink into the bed when I get in.” he explains, taking a carton of eggs from the fridge.

Betty laughs lightly. “I agree.”

A few minutes later breakfast is done and Jughead’s suggests they eat on the balcony. It’s beautiful out, not to warm since it’s only 9:00am and Betty takes in a deep breath before digging in to her breakfast. For the second time in less than 24 hours they eat in comfortable silence.

On the street below Betty watches as a dark haired woman exits a building not unlike Jughead, with man following close behind her. When they get to what Betty assumes is her car, she does a small spin, turning to face the man who had followed her out and they quickly embrace. Betty knows she should look away but she can’t. When they part for a breath, the man places his hand on the side of her face the way Jughead used to do to her and then whispers something in the woman’s ear that makes her giggle loud enough for Betty to hear.

This catches Jughead’s attention and she sees him look up out of the corner of her eye, finding the source of the noise down below. She sneaks a peak at Jughead and watches his adam's apple bob as he swallows harshly before he turns to look at her. Betty quickly looks away, focusing on her food.

She can’t help but shake the feeling of jealousy toward the couple she doesn’t even know. In the last five years Betty has been so focused on school, and then her career, that she’d hadn’t ever had the time for a relationship. She’d gone out on a few dates, and of course had sex with a few of those dates, but nothing ever stuck. If she was being honest she would admit that the real reason she never let it go there was because her heart still belonged to the very guy sitting beside her.

They finish their food in silence and Jughead quickly brings their plates back inside before returning with two cups of coffee.

“Thank you.” Betty says as she takes the cup from his hand.

“No problem.” he replies.

A moment or two passes before either on of them speaks again.

“So,” he says.

“So,” she replies.

“Why were you embarrassed?” His question catches her by surprise. She’d forgotten that he had asked her that last night and she never answered.

“Because,” she says, suddenly feeling very shy. She places her cup on the small table in front of their chairs and pull her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her legs.

Jughead gives her an odd look, letting her know he clearly doesn’t understand, and she takes a deep breath before continuing.

“I went there that night to tell you how I felt. I mean it’s no secret that for the better part of our lives I had a serious crush on you. But after everything that happened with Archie and Veronica we hadn’t talked in what at the time felt like forever and I just needed you to know before I left.” She’s not looking at him, instead focusing her eyes on an open window on the building across the street. Inside the figure of a woman keeps walking back and forth.

“After that night, the next morning, and the following week when you...” She pauses. She doesn’t let herself think about that time very often and when she does it’s usually accompanied by a bottle of wine and a box of tissues, neither of which seem appropriate right now, although if the lump in her throat is any indication she may need the box of tissues.

“Betty...” he starts to say but she holds up a hand to stop him.

“It’s just not how I envisioned it going. You made it clear by ignoring me that you didn’t want to... that you didn’t like me that way, and I nearly begged you to ask me to stay. I just felt really pathetic and I knew Veronica would probably be angry at me for even talking to you after the Archie thing and combined with everything else I just wanted to forget that it happened.”

When she’s finished she feels like a giant weight that’s been sitting on her chest has just been lifted off and she takes a deep breath testing out the new space her lungs have to expand into. It feels good and she chances a look over at Jughead. He’s turned slightly toward her, but staring down at the ground, his brows furrowed together.

When he looks up at her, his eyes are a stormy blue and she nearly gets lost in them. “Betty I...”

Yet again his words are cut off by a ringing phone. He closes his eyes and clenches his jaw before getting up to go answer it. Betty lets herself relax for the moment. It’s been five years that she’s held that in and it feels beyond good to finally say all that to Jughead.

He returns a few moments later, clearly annoyed. “I’m so sorry Betty. That was Sweet Pea. Apparently something happened last night and he got into a small motorcycle accident and waited until just now to tell me. I’ve got to go down to Pop’s and work.”

“Oh wow. Is he okay?” she asks, standing and picking her cup off the table.

“Yea he’s fine. Just a broken ankle but he has to stay off of it for a while.” he says as she follows him back inside. “Did you want me to take you to your sisters or?”

Betty thinks for a moment before realizing she needs to go back to the Pembrooke.

“The Pembrooke is fine. I don’t have any clothes at my sisters.”

“Ah right.” he says.

A half hour later he dropping her out front.

“So um, I want to continue our talk.” he says, still straddling the motorcycle. He looks hot as sin and she’s trying hard to concentrate on his words.

“I would like that.” she says somewhat sheepishly.

“Give me your phone.” he says, removing one of his riding gloves.

She hands him her phone and watches as he punches in some numbers. When he hands it back to her he’s added his name as a contact and sent himself a message. Betty stares at it for a moment when a thought pops into her head.

“How did you get my address?” she blurts out, remembering he had sent her an invitation to his show.

He gives her a half smile. “I may have snuck a look at Toni and Cheryl’s list of addresses they had for everyone coming to the wedding when they weren’t looking.”

Betty’s heart and stomach do summersaults as she takes in the information that Jughead went through someone’s things just to get her address.

He smirks at her again before revving the bike to life. “Bye Betty.” he yells over the engine.

She simply waves and smiles, knowing he won’t be able to hear her.

After watching until he was out of sight Betty heads up the Veronica’s apartment, fully prepared for an argument to ensue. What she finds, however, is that no one is home. She peaks a look into Veronica’s room and her bed is made so she knows that means Veronica slept at Archie’s.

She checks her phone once she’s inside the guest room that is effectively her room for the next few weeks. She has a text from Cheryl reminding her not to be late to their lunch date and that Veronica will be joining and she rolls her eyes and groans. Great, this will be so much fun she thinks.

For the next two hours she showers and gets herself ready to meet Cheryl and Veronica. Cheryl has picked a restaurant in Greendale called “That’s Amore” that’s about a half hour away. Knowing Cheryl, it’s a more upscale place so she wears her black spaghetti strap dress that stops right above her knee in a flower skirt. She wears her hair down and opts for flats instead of heels, as it’s till only lunch time. She knows it might be chilly so she throws on her cropped jean jacket and calls it a day.

While she’s waiting for the Uber, scrolling through Facebook, a text message comes through from Jughead.

**Jughead:** What are you doing tonight?

She can’t help the flutter her stomach does. She knows it’s ridiculous, he just wants to talk about everything that happened with them so long ago and clear the air, but a small part of her wishes it was more.

**Betty:** Hiding in my room, actively avoiding Veronica.

His reply comes through almost immediately.

**Jughead:** That sounds like the epitome of fun.

**Betty:** Oh yeah, a real rager.

**Jughead:** Would you like to go to dinner?

Butterflies in Betty’s stomach begin seizing, throwing themselves around like they are in a mosh pit.

**Betty:** Yes, I’d like that.

**Jughead:** I get off at 8, I’ll pick you up after.

**Betty:** Perfect.

Just as she hits the send button she gets a notification saying her Uber driver is outfront. She shoves her phone in her purse trying, and failing, to wipe the goofy smile off her face, before walking out into the midday sun. Regardless of how this lunch goes, she knows it won’t be able to quell her excitement about tonight.

By the time she gets to the restaurant Cheryl and Veronica are already seated at a small table in the back with glasses of wine in front of them. A waiter appears as Betty takes her seat and she orders a glass of white wine for herself, knowing she will need the aid of alcohol to get through this.

“Alright ladies, I want you both to put whatever petty ridiculous drama is happening between you to the side because we are focusing on me and my undying love for TT right now.” Cheryl says, flicking her hair over her shoulders.

“There’s no drama Cheryl, just a lot of hypocrisy.” Veronica says with a snotty tone, taking a sip from her glass of red wine.

Betty clenches her jaw. “If by hypocrisy you mean down right lying then yeah, sure.”

“Says the liar.” Veronica snaps back.

“I didn’t lie.” Betty snaps back quicker.

“Enough!” Cheryl yells, placing a harsh hand down on the table. Betty jumps at the sound.

“If what you did wasn’t a lie, than how is what I did?” Veronica asks with an almost sad tone and for a moment Betty is taken back.

Betty had never felt like she lied to Veronica, just simply withheld information. But it was information that wasn’t necessary for Veronica to know. Surely there was a difference. Betty had stood by and watched Veronica mourn a relationship that meant so much to her and ended so badly. She’d held her hand through the many days and nights when it was too much for Veronica to even get out of bed. All the while Betty was suffering in silence, so surely the two aren’t even slightly the same.

_ Betty awakes to the sound of sniffling. She knows exactly where it’s coming from and quickly gets up making the small trek from her bedroom, across the hall to Veronica’s. _

_ It’s the third week of their Freshman year at Columbia and Betty wonders if Veronica will ever be okay. She wonders if she’ll ever be okay as well, but it’s a thought for a different time. _

_ She slips under the covers next to her best friend and pulls her into her chest. _

_ “Shhh.” Betty says, as Veronica’s sniffles turn into full blown sobs. _

_ “How could he do that Betty?” _

_ It’s the same question Veronica has been asking since they moved into their dorm four weeks ago. How could he do that? How could Archie, a boy she’s know since they were in diapers, do something so low. The thought makes her angry all over again and she squeezes Veronica tighter. _

_ It’s a week later and Veronica hasn’t gotten out of bed since that night. Not to shower, not to go to class. The only reason Betty knows she’s eaten is because she herself has made her food everyday. She sits outside Veronica’s door and she’s not sure how much longer she can do this. She knows Veronica is hurting, she’s hurting too though she’d never admit why outloud, but she can’t go on like this, it’s not healthy. _

_ Two days later Betty comes home to Veronica sitting in front of the TV wrapped in a blanket. The TV is off and Veronica’s eyes seem empty almost distant. _

_ “I don’t want to do this anymore Betty. It hurts to much.” Veronica says, not moving an inch, her eyes focused on something on the wall in front of her. _

_ Betty feels an icy chill go down her spine. She’s stood by and let Veronica wallow as long as she could but this, this isn’t heartbreak and it’s caring her. _

_ She crouched down in front of Veronica and places a firm hand on each of Veronica’s shoulder’s. _

_ “Knock it off. Knock it off right now Veronica Lodge.” She doesn’t know when she started crying but the tears are flowing and her breaking voice must snap Veronica out of her trance because she finally looks at Betty. “I know this hurts, I know it feels like you’re never going to whole again, like a part of your heart has been ripped from your chest and someone did a shitty job of trying to sew you back up but I promise you it won’t last forever. One day you’re going to look back on this and hardly be able to remember how bad it hurt. Don’t make a permanent decision on a temporary fucking feeling Veronica. Please don’t.” _

_ _ _ Veronica stares at her for a long moment, tears welling up in her eyes before she finally breaks down. It’s a different kind of cry then Betty has been experiencing with her and it feels like a breakthrough of some kind. The two girls stay like that, both of them crying out a different heart break, nearly the rest of the night. _

_ Veronica doesn’t get better the next day, nor the day after, but by the end of their final semester she’s smiling and giggling at an end of the year party and Betty wants to bottle the sound and play it on repeat for the rest of her life. _

“So what’s going to happen this time when he breaks your heart?” As soon as the words leave her mouth Betty knows it’s a mistake, but she can’t take them back now, so she sits and waits for Veronica to answer.

“Fuck you Betty.” Veronica says, her eyes filling with tears. “Ya know I could say the same for you. It’s been five years and unlike Archie, Jughead hasn’t reached out to you even once. What do you think that means Betty?”

The words hit her like a ton of bricks and Betty suddenly feels like she can’t breath.

“Don’t expect me to hold your hand the next time Archie messes around behind your back.” She says sniffling as she grabs her purse. “Cheryl, I’m sorry but I don’t think I can help you.”

She doesn’t wait for a reply before she’s leaving the restaurant, nearly sprinting out the door. Once outside she starts walking, she’s not sure to where, but she sees a Starbucks up ahead and figures it’s as good a place as any.

She can’t believe the things Veronica had said, nor the things she herself said. A part of her is really hurt but a bigger part of her is angry that Veronica was, for the most part, right. Up until this trip home it had been radio silence form Jughead. She honestly had never expected to hear from him every again. She was heartbroken about how they ended, but even more upset that she’d lost her best friend because of it. She can’t help but be angry with Veronica for that.

It’s ridiculous, but Betty can’t help but think if she hadn’t taken Veronica’s side in the whole break up, if she had tried to stay neutral, than she wouldn’t have left. Leaving with Veronica had been a rash decision made a few days after the truth about Archie had come out. She had gotten her Columbia acceptance letter, along with a few others, just a few weeks prior but with Veronica heading that way, and her, Archie, and Jughead at odds, the decision seemed simple.

Once she reaches the Starbucks she takes a seat in a lounge chair in the back and pulls out her phone and dials her sisters number.

“Hey girl!” Polly says, sounding excited to be having Betty call.

“Hey Pol. How are you? How are the twins?” She’s trying to keep her voice as level as she can. If Polly senses anything is wrong she doesn’t say anything.

“I’m good, they’re good, Jason’s good. We’re all good.”

“Good.” Betty laughs. “So listen, you know I’m in town for Cheryl’s wedding and I was supposed to be staying at the Pembrooke with Veronica, but... it’s just a long story. Do you think I could stay with you?”

There’s a long pause on the other end before Polly speaks again and Betty has to check to make sure the call hasn’t been disconnected.

“Betty I’m not sure if that will be such a great idea.” Polly says, her voice taking on a completely different tone.

“Wow. Um, okay.” Betty feels like crying all over again.

“It’s just...” There’s another pause and she can hear her sister scolding one of the twins in the background. “Betty can we do brunch tomorrow and I’ll explain?”

“Yea, of course.” Betty says, sniffling and playing a loose thread on the chair.

“You and me at Pop’s tomorrow at say 11:00am.” she clarifies.

“See you then Pol. Hug the twins for me.”

When she hangs up she feels un uncomfortable ache in her chest. Nothing about this trip so far had been what she planned. A part of her wants to rewind time and tell Veronica she wouldn’t be coming along.

She sits in the chair for a little while longer before ordering a coffee and heading outside to wait for the Uber she had called. When she gets back to the Pembrooke Veronica is in her room and she quickly goes and hides in her own, deciding she’d spend the next month in here if it meant she didn’t have to see Veronica again.

She decides to take a nap before dinner with Jughead, making sure to set an alarm to give her more than enough time to get ready. As she sinks into the bed all she can think about is how much she’d rather be in Jughead’s bed and she’s not sure how she feels about that.

 


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So up until this point I've been switching POV's within a chapter. This entire chapter is from Jug's POV, later on you'll get an entire one form Betty's. I could have done both, but this is already over 5,000 words and that's a decent size chapter in my opinion. lol 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

Jughead feels a trickle of sweat roll down his back and he groans in response. It’s almost 7pm and he’s been at Pop’s since 10 am, having to cover for Sweet Pea. He’s not so much mad at Sweet Pea, the accident likely wasn’t his fault and he’s glad he’s okay, but he had waited until the last minute to tell Jughead, affectively interrupting an extremely important conversation he was having with Betty. For the first time he felt like they were actually getting somewhere.

His decision to ask her to dinner had been spurred by the fact that two hours after dropping her off, he missed her. It was a strange feeling because in truth he always missed her. Since the day he watched Veronica’s car pull away from Archies bedroom window he’s missed her. But over time it was a feeling he shoved down, one he drowned in alcohol, and then once he got sober it was just a feeling he lived with.

Now, after spending an extended amount of time with her, it feels more fresh, like an old wound reopened and he’d found himself becoming increasingly distracted as the time went on. He’s not sure if he had expected her to say no, but when she agreed he couldn't help the dumb smile that spread across his face. The thought that this might be a bad idea had definitely crossed his mind but he chose to ignore.

He’s checking out the last customer of the night when Toni comes barling through the door.

“Have a nice night.” he says to the elderly man, following him out and turning the open sign to read closed. It’s only 6:45 but there won’t be any more customers and he still has to close up and lock up and wants time to change before getting Betty.

He shoots her a quick text telling her he’ll be there no later than 8:45 before turning his attention to Toni.

“What’s up Topaz?” he asks, pulling the drawer from the cash register and placing the bills along the counter so he can count them.

“Let’s go shoot some pool tonight.” she says, climbing into a stool across from him.

“Can’t.” he responds simply as he finishes counting the 20’s, writing down the amount on a small piece of paper.

“Why not?” she asks, sounding almost offended.

“Because I can’t.” He doesn’t offer much else as he counts the 10’s and again writes the amount down on the piece of paper.

“What, do you have a hot date or something?” she jokes and he feels the air leave his lungs.

Technically, no, he’s not sure he can call what he has planned with Betty a date, however they are going to dinner and that’s about the most date like thing he’s done in years so...

“I’m getting dinner with Betty.” he finally says, pilling all the bills together and placing them in the deposit bag.

“Wait, what? You and Betty are going on a date?” she asks in disbelief.

“No. Betty and I are getting dinner. We’re going to finish our talk from this morning.”

Toni follows him into the kitchen where he begins putting the clean dishes away. He had already cleaned off the grill after serving the last customer, wanting to leave as little to do as possible.

“This morning? Where did you see her this morning?” she asks.

He heads back to the front with Toni hot on his heels and starts lowering the blinds. Toni heads to the other side to do the same.

“My place.” He winces knowing she’ll take that wrong. “She stayed the night.” he says trying to explain but it sounds even worse.

Toni’s eyes are about to pop out of her head when he holds a hand up telling her to let him explain.

“She was upset last night after finding out about Archie and Veronica and didn’t want to go back to the Pembrooke so she’s crashed at my place. I slept on the couch, nothing happened, it’s not like that, please stop.”

He quickly flicks the lights off and Toni follows him into the kitchen as he does the same there. It’s not until they are outside, and he’s locking the back door that she finally says something.

“You’re an idiot.”

Jughead turn his head toward her so fast it almost hurts his neck. “Excuse me?”

“Do you really think that spending time with Betty, going out to dinner with Betty, talking to Betty, is really not going to turn into anything? It’s you and Betty for fucks sake. You’ve both spent years pining after each other to only get a small taste and if you think for one second that she hasn’t spent the last five years missing you in the same way you’ve missed her you’re dumber than I thought.” she finishes with a poke to his chest.

“Wow. How long have you been waiting to unleash all that?”

“A while,” Toni says with a laugh.

“It’s not going to happen because I’m not going to let it happen. She’ll be leaving after your wedding, back to her life in Manhattan with Veronica doing whatever it is that she does and we will both go on with our lives.” he says, pulling his helmet on and buckling it under his chin.

“I wouldn’t be so sure.” Toni says wagging her finger.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Cheryl had lunch with Veronica and Betty and she said there were some really harsh words said between the two. Apparently Betty left in tears before they had even ordered food and Veronica refused to even talk about it.”

Jughead sighs. He has no idea what the dynamics of Betty and Veronica’s friendship are like but he was sure this was getting blown out of proportion. Sure, he was upset with Archie for not telling him, but not to the point that it might end their friendship. After everything they’d been through, it didn’t seem that important.

Whipping a leg over to straddle his bike he paused before starting it. “Well I guess I’ll find out more tonight. I’ll call you later Toni.” he says before bringing his bike to life.

She gives him a solute before heading back to the front of the building where he bike is.

As he drives the twenty minute ride home, he can’t help but feel excitement bloom in his gut. He knows it’s not good to get his hopes up about tonight, especially since he’s the one who keeps saying it won’t go there because he won’t let it, but even just the idea of talking with Betty has gotten him feeling like he’s floating on cloud nine.

Back at his apartment, he quickly showers and changes, opting for a pair of dark jeans, he least worn black boots, and a grey button up. He wants to take her to an actual restaurant and he knows the perfect place over in Centerville. He debates wearing his beanie, deciding in the end to wear it, knowing he may need the comfort later when the conversation inevitably leads to the places he knows it will.

He checks himself in the mirror one last time before heading down to his bike. For the second night in a row it’s a bit cooler than he had expected and he hopes Betty wears a jacket so she won’t be cold.

It a short ride to the Pembrooke and when he pulls up out front Betty is already waiting for him. She’s wearing a pair of dark high waisted jeans with a white tank top that just meets the top of her pant, a small sliver of skin exposed, and it takes more willpower than he cares to admit to pull his eyes away. When he does, he’s happy to see she’s wearing a crop leather jacket that match her black boots pretty well. Her hair is down again and she has a light dusting of makeup on. Betty has always been beautiful in his eyes, and the dress she wore last night showed just how sexy is she, but tonight, in decidedly more laid back and dressed down outfit, he thinks she’s looks the best she ever has.

She smiles at him as she approaches the bike but it doesn’t seem to reach her eyes. He wants to badly to reach out and cradle her face in his hand but knows he can’t.

“Hop on.” he says after pulling her helmet out of the back compartment.

She says nothing as the pulls the helmet onto her head. After climbing on behind him she wraps her arms around his waist and he takes a moment to soak up the feeling before pulling back out onto the road.

The restaurant he’s chosen is a small hole in the wall steak house in the business section of Centerville. It’s one of the only steakhouses around that doesn’t have a bar or serve alcohol for that matter, which is part of the reason he liked it. The other part being the food and the atmosphere. It was quiet and low lit, with lots of back corner booths that were perfect for private conversations like they’d probably be having tonight.

They don’t accept reservations so he had been prepared to wait for a table when they arrived. Thankfully though they don’t have to wait long, it’ still early enough in the night that they aren’t too busy and the hostess is able to seat them right away.

Betty hasn’t said a word since he picked her up and he is starting to worry that maybe she didn’t actually want to be here.

“Toni told me about your lunch with Cheryl and Veronica.” he says after they give their drink orders to the waitress.

Betty sighs and closes her eyes for a moment, letting her head fall back against the back of the booth. “That was a shit show.”

“So I hear. Wanna talk about it?”

She lifts her head at that, a strange expression passing on face for a moment. “Veronica doesn’t seem to understand why I’m mad and we both said some hurtful things.”

“Like?” he asks, flipping through the menu.

Betty opens her and seems to take a moment to read before answering. “I asked her how long until Archie messes around behind her back again.”

“Ouch.”

She sighs. “I know. Not my best moment. It’s just... I was the one who was there. Who held her while she sobbed for the better part of a year. It was bad Jughead. She wouldn’t get out of bed and at one point she was talking like she wanted to...” She trails off, a chill seeming to make its way down her spine. “Let’s just say it wasn’t pretty.”

Jughead’s not sure why this information surprises him, but it does. Veronica never seemed like the type of girl to let a break up get to her, but than again him and her were never all that close.

“I get that. Archie was, well he was a fucking mess. For like six months straight he didn’t leave the house unless he was getting drunk, looking for a fight, or looking to get laid.” he explains.

Betty rolls her eyes. “Figures.”

“Are you really that angry with him?” Jughead asks.

Her head snaps up at the question and she seems to think on it for a moment.

“Yes. I think I am.” she replies before looking back to the menu.

Jughead doesn’t say anything more, mainly because he doesn’t know what to say. The waitress returns with their drinks, a coke for him, water for her, and they place their food order; the house burger with the works with a side of chilli fries for him and a small steak with a baked potato for her.

“It’s a steakhouse, you’re supposed to order steak.” she says after the waitress walks away.

“Yes but their burgers are the best around.” he explains.

She simply smiles and shakes her head.

There’s a lull in the conversation and he wants so bad to explain to her what he was trying to say this morning before Sweet Pea called but he’s not sure how to go about it now. The mood is vastly different. He shifts in his seat, rubbing a hand on the back of his neck.

“Are you nervous?” Betty asks suddenly.

“What?”

“You keep rubbing the back of your neck and shifting around, you used to do that when you were nervous or uncomfortable. You chose the restaurant and it’s clear you come here a lot so I’m guessing you aren’t uncomfortable...”

He just stares at her for a moment. How was it after five whole years of not seeing each other she could still read him so well?

“I’m sorry. That was-” she starts to say.

“No no, it’s true. I am nervous.” He admits with a laugh.

“Why?” she asks softly, her emerald green eyes still somehow shining in the low lighting of the restaurant.

He’s about to answer when the waitress returns with their food and he curses the universe for constantly interrupting them. They both thank her before digging into their meals. There’s a silence between them, though he’s not sure he would qualify it as awkward, but it is filled with an odd tension he can’t place.

Across from him, Betty is barely picking at her food, shoving it around her plate seeming lost in thought.

“Hey, you okay?” he asks after swallowing a large bite of his burger.

She looks up like she had been snapped out of a trance and blinks a few times.

“Yea, I’m fine why?” she asks.

“You just seem out of it is all.”

She puts her fork down at the same time that she lets out a long sigh.

“I called my sister after my lunch with Veronica and Cheryl to see if I could stay with her for the rest of the month and she said no. This whole trip is, it’s just turned out to be so much more than I had planned for. So now I have to spend the next month hiding in my room at the Pembrooke and actively avoiding Veronica because it’s pretty clear neither of us are going to budge on this. I guess I could just get a hotel room but it’s not an expense I planned for either.”

There’s a sadness in her eyes that Jughead doesn’t like and before he can stop himself the words are spilling out of his mouth. “Stay with me.”

Betty’s eyes lock with his,like she wasn’t sure if she had heard him correctly. She furrows her brows and goes to open her mouth but he speaks before she can.

“Hear me out,” he says before he even knows where he’s going with this. He stares back at her for a long moment, his brain suddenly unable to form any kind of thought.

“I’m listening,” she says as a way to encourage him to on.

“Yea I’m still trying to think.” he quickly responds.

They stare at each other for a brief moment before they both break out in a fit of laughter. For the first time since she’s been back the ice feels like it might be thawing a bit.

“Okay but seriously though.” he says trying to quell the giggles bubbling in his gut. Betty has always had one of those infectious laughs that make everyone around her laugh even harder. It’s part of why he loves her so much.

“While I appreciate the offer, you and I both know it’s not...” She stops.

“Not what? Not a good idea? What’s the worst that could happen?” He knows what the worst is, even what the best is, but looking at the wide smile on her face he wants nothing more than to see it as much as possible. “Would any of it be worse than spending a month locked in the padded walls of the Pembrooke?”

This seems to register some sort of truth in her brain as she fixes her eyes on the food in front of her. “I suppose you aren’t exactly wrong.”

“I never am.” he says in false confidence.

“Fine. On on condition though. I’ll take the couch. I’m not kicking you out of your bed.” she says, picking her fork and knife back up and cutting into her steak. It’s a sign that she’s feeling better than she was and Jughead decides, even though he absolutely will not allow her to sleep on the couch, that’ll he will wait to argue the point.

“Fair enough.” he replies.

They eat in a comfortable silence for the rest of the time. The conversation, when it does happen, stays light and casual. He asks all about her life in Manhattan and Betty tells him about her job at an online news magazine. It’s not the job she’s always dreamed of, but with print release dying out, it’s probably as good as it’s going to get. He’s unbelievably proud of her, though he doesn’t say it.

He asks about her parents and learns that Betty hasn’t spoken to her mom or dad since she left Riverdale. It comes as a shock, though with the way her mom was, and her dad leaving and being minimally involved in Betty’s life it stands to reason she wouldn’t want to have anything to do with them. She does however stay in contact with her sister Polly.

Jughead has seen Polly, Jason, and their twins Oliver and Olivia every Wednesday morning at Pop’s for the last two years. It’s somewhat of a tradition for them, and he always gives the twins extra whipped cream and cherries on their milkshakes. Betty laughs at this and the sound filters in through his ears and heads straight to his heart, causing it to twist and turn. It’s always been his favorite sound and now he thinks he’s not sure how he’ll live without it when she leaves after the wedding.

After dinner they decide to stop by the Pembrooke and pick up her stuff. Jughead parked his bike out front and waited while Betty went up and gathered her things. It was there that he ran into Archie and Veronica.

“What are you doing here?” Veronica asks as she makes her way around the car.

“Chill Ronnie.” Archie pleads, rushing to Veronica’s side to help cool the ice that’s building in her expression.

Jughead crosses his arms and leans back against his bike. “I’m waiting for Betty.”

“Of course you are.” Veronica says crossing her own arms.

He doesn’t respond and she regards him for a moment, looking him up and down with a look of distaste.

“Like what you see?” he says in retaliation.

Archie lets out an exasperated sigh and tries in vain to get Veronica to walk away.

“I have no idea what is going on between you and my best friend, but I want to make something clear. Betty has worked very hard to get better and too move on from you and the pain you caused her. She may not have told me herself, but I’m not an idiot. It didn’t take a genius to know she was hurting. I will not watch her go through that again Jughead Jones.”

Jughead stares back at her with a blank expression. Never in a million years did he think those would be the words she’d say to him. It brings him back to a party in the middle of their Senior year.

_ “Do you plan on telling her you love her any time soon?” Veronica says over the loud music. _

_ He’s about five beers in, so there’s a good chance he hadn’t heard her correctly, but when he turns to face a her, a knowing expression plain on her face, he knows he had. _

_ “I don’t know what you are talking about.” he lies, taking another long swig of the beer in his hand. _

_ They are at another one of Cheryl’s blowout parties and he’s snuck off to the kitchen where the alcohol is and where most people aren’t. Veronica had wondered in not too long after, perching herself on the counter. _

_ “Like fucking hell you don’t. Do I look like a fool to you Jones?” she says gesturing to herself. _

_ He doesn’t answer and she rolls her eyes. _

_ “All I’m saying is that the school year is almost over. Betty has been accepted into every college she’s applied, which you know means that eventually she will be leaving.” _

_ Jughead knows this. He’s known this for a long time and a part of him is looking forward to it. Once Betty is gone he’ll be able to move on and so will she. He’s know her feelings for him for as long as he can remember but it goes against the hard rules he’s set for himself regarding Betty to acknowledge these feeling out loud. _

_ “Again Veronica, I don’t know what you are talking about. I think you’ve had too much to drink.” he says downing the rest of his beer. _

_ “Speak for yourself Jones.” she says and he ignores her. “What are going to if she decides to confess her feelings to you? Just ignore her? Lie and say you don’t feel the same? She’s not stupid Jughead.” Veronica says hoping down from the counter. _

_ He doesn’t respond as she walks back into the living room. It’s not like it’s something he hasn’t thought about. As the year has gone on Betty has started becoming more and more obvious _

_ _ _ with her affection toward him. They’d been sharing a bed off and on for weeks and he’s woken up in the morning to find her wrapped around him or worse, himself wrapped around her. When they go out with Veronica and Archie, instead of it feeling like it once did, four friends just hanging out, things started to feel more like a double date. _

_ Movie night at Archie’s Betty would curl up in his side and he’d be powerless not to wrap and arm around her and soak up the feeling. On the night’s when he was home and she’d show up in the middle of the night, no longer able to deal with the war zone she called  home, he’d willingly wrap her in his arms, in his bed, and shush her to sleep. He’d stay awake long after she dozed off just taking in every moment knowing this is as close as he’ll ever get. _

_ Even now, as she moves and sways to the music in the other room, the alcohol lowering her inhibitions, she’s making eyes at him from across the room. He’s trying hard not to notice, to avoid her gaze, but the black skirt she’d chosen to wear keeps riding up, showing more thigh skin than any man can handle and his hand itches to move toward her and touch it. _

_ He knows any day now Betty is going to look up at him with those big beautiful eyes and tell him what he’s known all along. But as he reaches for his sixth beer of the night and makes his way into the living room, to where she calling him to, he’s not sure what he’ll say. _

“Veronica I...” he wants to tell her he has no plans of ever hurting Betty like that but before he can do so Betty comes through the front door, a large backpack on her back.

“What are you doing?” Veronica asks, gesturing to the backpack.

“I’m going to stay at Jughead’s for the remainder of the trip. I’ll come get the rest of my stuff tomorrow.” Betty replies taking her helmet from Jughead.

If looks could indeed kill than he’s sure that Veronica would be getting arrested for homicide right this second from the look she just sent him. He’s aware of how this must look, especially to Veronica, and even Archie who has taken on a concerned expression, but he can’t bring himself to care.

“You work tomorrow Jug?” Archie asks out of nowhere.

“Yea, Sweet Pea’s out for a while so I’m covering his shifts. Why?” he explains as he straddles his bike.

“How about I stop by for lunch?” Archie suggests, the look of concern still firmly etched in the fine lines of his face.

Jughead knows it would be useless to say no, Archie would just show up anyway, so he nods and smiles. “Sounds good man.”

Veronica hasn’t said a word, instead remains frozen, her bottom jaw slack as Jughead helps Betty onto the back of his bike. Archie grabs her arm, pulling her back toward the building as Jughead starts the bike up.

He waits for Betty to bring her arms around him before pulling out. He knows he’s going to have a lot of explaining to do tomorrow, but for now he focuses on the fact that, for the foreseeable future, the next month, Betty will be effectively living with him. He’s not really sure how they got here. Just a few days ago Betty could hardly make eye contact with him as she passed him at Pop’s and now she was placed firmly behind him, her arms wrapped tightly around his waist, as he drove them to his apartment.

He’s acutely aware that all these hard fast changes aren’t exactly good for his health. He thrives on routine, on simplicity, on being able to, in some ways, predict how his day, week, or month will go. He makes a mental note to hit up a meeting tomorrow after work and touch base with his sponsor Frank. There’s a lot for him to be filled in on.

When they make it back to Jughead’s, Betty asks if it would be okay if she showered and he of course tells her it’s fine, and to make herself at home. While she showers he changes the sheets on his bed, and brings out some more blankets for his couch for him to sleep with himself. He knows she’ll try to argue, and of course she does.

“Jughead, I told you I’m taking the couch!” she argues, her hair pulled back in a damp braid, wearing pajama shorts that he’s trying desperately not to notice.

“Too late, I’m already in bed technically.” he’s sprawled out on the couch, shoes off, wearing his own pajamas.

She gives him a look, squinting her eyes as if she’s considering something and before he knows it she’s hurling herself at him, landing right on top of him. He lets out a low groan at the force of her body knock the wind out of him.

“Looks like you’re sharing.” she says wiggling around trying to get comfy and he’s trying hard to concentrate on anything but the feel over body on top of his, reciting the pledge of allegiance in his mind to control a certain body part.

She lets out a giggle and in an act of revenge he pokes at her sides, causing her to laugh out loud as she tries to wriggle away from his grasp.

“Okay okay! I surrender!” she says, tears from laughing forming in her eyes as she rolls over.

She’s facing him now, her hands on his chest to prop herself up, her face just a few inches from his. All he would have to do is lean up a bit to connect their lips. Instead he smiles and says, “I always win.”

Betty rolls her eyes and pushes herself off of him and to a sitting position. Jughead does the same, making room for her to sit.

There’s a moment of silence between them but it isn't’ awkward or tension filled like it had been earlier.

“You tired?” he asks.

“Not really. You?” she replies.

“Nope. Want to watch a movie?” he asks hesitantly.

“Sure.”

They settle on Reservoir Dogs, one of his favorite Quentin Tarantino movies, and he quickly makes them some popcorn before they settle into the couch, feet propped up on the coffee table. It feels so much like one of the many nights they spent doing this exact thing so many years ago.

Sometime toward the end of the movie Betty falls asleep, her head resting on the arm rest of the couch. He knows she can’t be comfortable, and he meant when he said she wasn’t sleeping on the couch, so after lowering the volume on the TV, he gently picks her up and begins carrying her to his bedroom. He’s almost managed to do this without waking her up, but when her back hits the soft surface of his matress her eyes flutter open.

“Juggie?” It’s the first time he’s heard her use his nickname and it effectively makes his heart skip a beat.

“Go back to sleep.” he tells her, pulling the covers up over her.

As he turns to leave her feels her soft touch on his wrist followed by her equally soft voice.

“Stay. Please.” She’s peering up at him with those impossibly green eyes and even after all these years, he’s powerless.

He doesn’t bother going back into the living to turn off the TV, the door is already locked, so he simply crosses to the other side of the bed and slips under the covers with her. They don’t cuddle, each remaining on their own sides of the bed, but as the sounds of Betty’s breathing even out, her soft breaths seem to have a lullaby affect, and he’s drifting off to sleep not long after.

When morning comes, the first glimpses of daylight peeking their way through his blinds, he wakes up to Betty’s body pressed firmly against his, his arms wrapped securely around her. He knows he should move, should try to discreetly untangle himself for her but after sneaking a peek at the clock and noting that he still has two hours before he needs to really be awake, he settles back down, content in letting this moment happen.

 


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooooo sorry about the long wait between updates. Life and work got the best of me these last few weeks! I promise to update more frequently! I hope you all haven't forgotten about this fic as it's my baby! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

It’s just after 10:00 am and Betty is putting the finishing touches on her hair, curling it around a large barrel curling wand for a soft wave affect. Wearing a soft pink sundress, she’s getting ready to go meet Polly for brunch at Pop’s, where she knows Jughead will be working.

She had woken up this morning to an empty bed, though the side he had slept on was still warm. In the middle of the night she woke up briefly when she felt his arms slip around her waist. His breathing was still steady so Betty knew it wasn’t something he had done on purpose, just the natural actions of a person sleeping in bed next to another person, but she still couldn’t help the smile that formed on her face and it hasn’t left since.

Last night was the second night in a row that she had slept in Jughead’s bed and still only her third full day in Riverdale. To say that nothing has gone according to plan since she got here would be an understatement.

After booking an Uber, Betty takes a seat on the couch in Jughead’s living room. She’s not been alone in his apartment before now and for some reason she feels out of place. In the last five years he’s made a life for himself. Aside from getting sober, he’s moved out of the trailer park, become a published photographer, and basically runs Pop’s all on his own.

She’s not sure what she had expected to find when it comes to Jughead, but looking around the spacious apartment she’s also not sure she would have ever expected the boy she left five years ago to live here. It’s neat, and organized, and there’s an abundance of natural light. Nothing at all like the small trailer he grew up in; dark, cluttered, and messy.

There’s framed black and white photographs on the walls, ones she’s almost sure he took, and the large bookcase is filled almost to the max with every book you could imagine. Feeling antsy, she gets up and makes her way around the room, taking in every aspect. On the shelves next to the TV there are more pictures, ones she recognizes, from when they were teenagers. Framed photographs of them at Pop’s, in the back of Archie’s truck at the drive-in. There’s ones of his little sister, who wasn’t so little anymore, her features so strikingly similar to Jughead’s.

She moves into the kitchen, opening the fridge and a few cabinets. There’s no alcohol, though she figures that was a given, instead the cabinets are stocked with actual cookable food. There’s no frozen dinner’s in the freezer, or dirty dishes in the sink. Every cabinet is organized and fully stocked. Betty wonders for a moment where he learned this, knowing it wasn’t FP or his mother. She gets the thought that perhaps he learned it from an ex-girlfriend, maybe one that used to live with him, and with that thought comes a terrible ache in her gut.

It’s been five years, she never expected him to never move on, but the thought doesn’t hurt any less. Betty herself had never been able to hold down any kind of serious relationship, instead opting for one night stands or no strings attached arrangements, always leaving the other party disappointed and heartbroken. It wasn’t that she had set out to hurt anyone, but in her heart she knew she’d never be able to fall in love with someone else, so why try.

Her phone buzzes loudly in her purse, alerting her that her Uber is waiting and before she leaves, she takes a deep breath, trying to prepare herself for whatever it is her sister has to tell her.

The drive to Pop’s isn’t long and before she knows it her Uber is pulling into the parking lot. She makes her way inside to see Jughead behind the counter helping a customer. It’s early and she figured she’d get there before Polly so she makes her way over to a booth in the back, sitting so she can face the door.

A moment later Jughead slides in across from her.

“Good morning.” He smiles warmly at her and Betty feels her cheeks flush for some reason. “Sleep well?”

“That I did. How about you?” she counters, picking up the menu she doesn’t need to look at.

“Better than I have in a long time.” he replies, his eyes locking with hers.

She struggles to remember to breath under his steady gaze.

“You look really pretty today.” he says.

“Thank you,” She responds, her voice barely above a whisper.

The sound of someone clearing their throat makes them both jump. It’s Polly and she’s standing next to the booth. Jughead swiftly slides out of the seat, allowing Polly to take his place.

“Can I get you both something to drink?” he asks, his whole demeanor shifting to take on a more professional tone.

“I’ll have a strawberry milkshake Jug, thank you.” Polly says and Betty creases her brow at the use of the nickname, a part of her feeling almost jealous that Polly and Jughead have developed any kind of familiarity over time.

“Alright. Vanilla for you Betts?” he asks her, the nickname slipping off his tongue so easily.

“Yes please,” she responds.

Her eyes drift over to him as he walks away.

“So I take it that’s happening?” Polly says, snapping Betty out it.

It’s the first time she’s seen her sister in about 2 years. Polly, Jason, and the twins came to Manhattan two years ago just to visit the city and Betty had showed them all around. They stayed for a week and to this day it’s still one of her favorite memories with her sister.

“What’s happening?” she asks trying to look anywhere but at her sister.

“Oh okay so we’re going with denial. I got ya.” Polly says laughing.

Betty rolls her eyes. “So where are my niece and nephew!?”

“Penelope takes them every Sunday. Her and Clifford take them out to the woods and they love tapping the trees. It’s mine and Jason’s one day off from parenting a week.” she explains.

Jughead returns with their milkshakes ready to take their order.

“My usual.” Polly says, to which Jughead nodes and jots down something on his notepad and again Betty feels those strange pangs of jealousy.

“What about you Betts? Breakfast or lunch?” he asks, looking down at her.

“I’m thinking lunch. Burger and fries.” she replies.

The girls sip their milkshakes slowly, simply enjoying each other’s company. It’s nice, Betty thinks, to be able to just be with her sister. They haven’t had that since high school and even then it was always tainted. Them escaping off to Pop’s because their mom and dad were having another knock down drag out fight.

“So you were saying yesterday you were staying at the Pembrooke? Did something happen?” Polly asks.

Betty swallows a large sip of her milkshake.

“Veronica and I... well we aren’t exactly talking right now.” she explains.

“How are you guys not talking? You live together.”

“Don’t remind me.” Betty says, internally wincing. Polly wasn’t wrong, after this month was over they would both be going back to their lives, together, back in Manhattan.

“What happened Betty?”

‘It’s a long story Pol, but apparently Veronica has been seeing Archie for like a year and never told me. I found out the other night.” she explains, twirling her straw around.

“And you’re mad at her for that?” Polly asks with a confused tone.

“Of course I am, wouldn’t you be?”

Polly seems to think on that for a moment. “I.. I don’t know. I mean, I get that you and Veronica are best friends and live together but, she’s allowed to have her own life. To keep things to herself.”

Betty was stunned. As her sister, Polly was supposed to always take her side. It was part of the sister code or something.

“Polly you can’t be serious? I left Riverdale with Veronica because of what Archie did. I left so many things behind, so many people.” she says glancing over in Jughead’s direction. “The least she could have done is told me she and him were talking.”

“Betty you left Riverdale to get away from mom and dad and to go to college.” Polly said flatly.

“Well yeah, that too but-”

“You would have left even if it wasn’t with Veronica right? Even if it wasn’t Columbia? I mean hell you got accepted like everywhere. Could have been Princeton, or that college out in California. Either way you were leaving.”

“Yes but still. It’s the way it happened.” Again her eyes seemed to search out Jughead, who was currently headed toward them with plates of food.

“Here you guys go. Let me know if you need anything else.” he says before placing the plates down.

Both girls simply smile up at him.

Polly seems to catch on to something. “Betty you don’t blame Veronica for you and Jughead not happening or not keeping in touch or whatever do you?”

Betty bit her bottom lip. Like Veronica, Polly didn’t exactly know the truth. All Betty had ever told her was that they had stopped talking after what happened with Archie and Veronica.

“No, no I don’t but...” she trails off not knowing what else to say.

“I beg to differ.” Polly simply said, taking a bit of her tuna sandwich.

Betty sighed, not wanting to talk about this anymore.

“You said you were going to explain why I couldn’t stay with you today.” she says, trying to switch topics.

Polly’s whole body seems to stiffen and Betty can’t help but notice how uncomfortable her sister seems to suddenly be.

“Yes. I did.” Polly says, smoothing her hands over her legs. “I guess I’ll just come right out and say it. Mom lives with me Betty.”

Betty felt all the air leave her lungs. When Betty left Riverdale, Polly and the twins had been living with the Blossom’s and hadn’t spoken to their parents in over a year. She can still remember the day she left.

_ It’s the end of May during Betty’s Junior year when Polly leaves for good. She’s 8 months pregnant and since the day she told their parents about the baby (now babies, having been confirmed to be having twins) their house has been more like a war zone. _

_ Betty’s father had nearly demanded that Polly have an abortion, a move that basically ripped apart her parents already splintering marriage, though neither of them would ever admit it. Instead of separating or filing for a divorce, they spent their time screaming and throwing dishes. When they weren’t throwing insults at each other, they were taking their anger out on their daughters. _

_ Alice Cooper has never been the loving doting mother she pretended to be. She didn’t hug her children sweetly and tell them she loved them. Instead she reminded them to sit up straight and stay away from carbs. At her worse, with a hand that met their bottoms as children that now meets their faces as teenagers, she was down right abusive. Their father, Hal Cooper, wasn’t much better, though he’d never laid a hand on either of his children. Instead, he demanded nothing but excellence from them and made no qualms about reminding them how much of a disappointment they were when they didn’t meet his and Alice’s impossible standards. _

_ These were the things had driven Polly into the arms of Jason Blossom, the father of her children and son of the richest man in Riverdale. They were also what drove Betty to self-harm. Unable to take her aggression out on her parents, she turned to hurting herself, first with her nails digging into her palms until they bled, and then with other things, against the soft flesh of her wrist. _

_ It was a Saturday night and once again Betty was curled up in a ball in the back of her closet, her hands curled into tight fists, humming to drown out the sounds of her parents screaming. Most times she would stay here until either the screaming stopped, with a dish crashing against a wall or the front door slamming, or until she fell asleep. Tonight though, there’s something different. _

_ She hears Polly stomping up the stairs. “I’m leaving! I won’t raise my children in a house with monsters!” She yells and Betty hears her open her door so fast it slams back against the wall connected to hers. The noise causes her to jump. _

_ “Monsters? Oh so now we’re monster. Please Polly.” Alice says and Betty can picture her mom with her hands on her hips in that dismissive way she always gets with her daughters. _

_ “Where will go? You’re a pregnant high school drop-out for fuck’s sake.” Hal seethes and Betty swallows the bile rising in her gut. _

_ “The Blossom’s. They’ve already said I can live there.” Polly responds. _

_ Betty feels her whole body start to shake. Since Polly got pregnant they haven’t been as close. Polly has been secretive and withdrawn, but still, the idea of living here alone with her parents is almost terrifying. _

_ _ _ “If you walk out of this house don’t you ever expect another dime from us. You’re bastards will be down a set of grandparents.” Alice says. _

_ “Good!” Polly screams back. _

_ The next things she hears are the clear sounds of someone stomping into her parent’s room while someone else stomps downstairs and out the front door, leaving it with a slam. Betty wonders for a moment how the frame has held up through so much abuse over the years. _

_ A moment later Polly comes into Betty’s room. _

_ “Betty? Where are you?” she says quietly and Betty crawls out from the closet. _

_ She instantly wraps herself around Polly’s swollen waist, sobbing into her chest. _

_ “Polly please don’t leave. Don’t leave me with them.” she begs. _

_ Polly squeezes her back. “Betty I can’t stay here. I can’t raise the twins here. I refuse. Look at me.” _

_ Betty looks up at her sister through tear soaked lashes. _

_ “One year Betty. That’s all you have left. One year and you can leave for college and never come back. You can do this Betty.” her sister says. _

_ After Polly left Betty crawled back to the floor of her closet, stuffing her face into a sweater hanging above to muffle the sounds of her sobbing. She wasn’t sure how she would make it through the next year. She stayed like that until her body finally gave up and she fell asleep. _

Off in the distance she hears the bell chim over the door and sees a blur of short red hair enter. She’s still staring at Polly, unsure of what to say or make of what she said.

“Say something Betty.” Polly urges.

“How long?” she asks.

“Since their divorce, three years ago.” Polly says quietly.

“So when you came to visit...”

“Yes, she was living with me then.” Polly admits.

Betty lets out a laugh, though she doesn’t find anything about this funny. Twice. Twice now since she’s been back in Riverdale someone close to her has lied to her.

She focuses beyond Polly, to where Jughead and Archie are now sitting down in a booth on the opposite side of the diner. She wonders for a moment if their conversation will end the same way hers is about it.

“I can’t believe you Polly. After everything Alice did to us. Christ you left me in that house alone because you refused to raise the twins around her and Dad. Now she’s living with you?” She could feel herself staring to lose her grip on her sanity.

“You don’t understand Betty. She’s different now. Ever since the divorce she’s-”

“She’s different?” Betty says, though it’s more of a yell.

“Keep your voice down.” Polly says looking around and Betty is taken aback suddenly at how much Polly looks and sounds just like Alice.

“I.. I can’t do this. Jesus fucking christ I can not do this again.” Betty says as she begins to gather her things.

“Again?”

“Yes again Polly. First Veronica lies to me, now you.” she explains.

“Okay first of all, no one lied to you. Sure, I never told you mom lives with me, but Betty when would you have wanted me to tell you?”

“I don’t know Pol, how about when it happened? Or how about don’t let it happen at all!”

“I’m not you Betty!” Polly says, her voice now raised in volume. “I don’t hold grudges for years, refusing to speak to someone. My children deserve to know their grandmother. She’s our mother Betty!”

“Yea she was also our mother when the palm of her hand was meeting our faces, or when she was telling us how stupid or fat we are. She was also our mother the day she found out about these,” she says, holding out her left arm to display an array of white scars covering the expanse of her wrist and inner forearm, “when she told me to grow up and stop being so dramatic.”

Polly’s eyes are wide and brimming with tears. “Betty I...”

“You never knew. I know. It was just one of the many secrets I had to keep during that time. While you were off living your best life with the Blossom’s I was in that house, with them, taking the brunt of their anger with you. So I guess I should say your welcome. I’m so happy you got your mommy back.”

With that, she picked up her bag and stormed out of the door. It was too much. Between everything with Veronica, and all the changes happening with Jughead. For the first time in a long time Betty felt out of control. She couldn’t seem to get her lungs to work properly and when she reached the side of the building, she collapsed to the ground, no longer able to keep it together.

____________________

The bell above the door chimes and Jughead turns to see Archie walking in. He hadn’t forgotten about their tentative lunch date, though he was hoping maybe the diner would be to busy for him to actually sit down. As it stands, besides Betty and Polly, there’s only one other table and they’ve been nursing the same cup of coffee for the last hour, typing away on their laptop.

“Hey man,” Jughead says as Archie approaches.

“Is that Betty with Polly?” Archie asks as he leans on the counter, turning his head in the direction of the booth they are at.

“Yup,” he replies simply.

He finishes wiping down the small section of the counter, throwing the white towel underneath when he’s done. Grabbing two plates full of food from the kitchen rack behind him, he motions for Archie to take a seat in the booth closest to them. A grilled cheese with french fries and a bowl of brown gravy for Archie, his favorite meal since they were kids, and of course a burger for him.

“So how was the rest of your night?” Jughead asks over a sip of his coffee.

It’s not what Archie is here to talk about but if he gets the first drop, he knows he can distract him long enough that maybe he’ll forget. Maybe.

“Not uh. You’re not going to do that.” Archie says dipping a french fry into the bowl of gravy before plopping it in his mouth. “Let’s talk, for real man.”

Jughead sighs and just as he’s about to say something when he hears Betty’s voice. He thinks she’s says something about being different but he can’t make it out. The two boys quickly turn their heads in the direction of Betty and Polly to see Polly looking around almost uncomfortable. Jughead wonders if maybe he should go over there. Pretend to be seeing if they need a refill.

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about me and Veronica Jug.” The apology catches him off guard.

“You don’t owe me any explanations man, we’re good.” he says, taking a bite of his burger. He means it, mostly. It would have been nice to know the truth sure, but he also knows what it’s like to want to keep something just for yourself.

“I don’t but still. You’re my brother.” Archie’s tone is serious and sincere. “I guess I was just worried about how you would react.”

“How I would react?”

“Yeah man. Since the day Betty left you’ve been different and I know you’re sober now and I’m seriously so proud of you for everything but I just... I guess I was worried it would set you back knowing that Veronica and I had somehow found a way to make it work.” Archie says rubbing a hand over the back of his neck. It’s something Jughead does when he’s nervous and he wonders if he learned it from Archie or if it’s the other way around.

“I feel like a broken record I swear.” Jughead says leaning back. “Archie I’m not an alcoholic because Betty left. It started long before she left and no matter what I was always going to end up where I ended up. I’m nothing but happy for you and Veronica. Betty and I...” He pauses briefly, gazing out the window. “We’re never going to be anything more than friends. That’s what we’re doing now, working on rebuilding that friendship.”

Archies eyebrows are furrowed and the look he’s wearing is unreadable. He opens his mouth to speak but before he can they are interrupted by the sound of Betty running out the front door. Jughead doesn’t see he face but he knows she’s crying.

“Go ahead bro.” Archie says nodding in the direction of the door, letting him know it’s okay.

It’s warmer outside than he expected, the air sticky with humidity. He follows the sounds of sniffling around the side of the building where Betty is in a ball on the ground, hugging her knees up by her chest, sobbs rocking her body. It’s not a pretty sight, though it’s not the first time he’s found her like this, in the throws of an emotional breakdown.

Crouching down next to her, he sits with his back against the building, fighting against the urge to pull her into his lap and sooth away whatever the problem is. They had held each other nearly all night, but that was during sleep, he’s not sure what the rules are here and he doesn’t want to cross any invisible boundary.

The sound of a car door closing catches his attention and he watches as Polly pulls away in her black minivan. Betty and Polly were so close for a time in high school people used to ask if they were twins, even though Polly is two years older. When she got pregnant, even though it was tearing their family apart, Betty was over the moon. The idea of a little niece or nephew, which turned out to be both, making her swoon. Jughead has the soft smile she wore whenever she talked about baby clothes or how Polly’s belly was growing committed to memory.

“Hey, come here.” He’s sat here for five whole minutes not touching her, not saying anything, and it’s four minutes too long. With an arm around her back and under her knees he pulls her into his lap easily, resting her head on his chest. She doesn’t resist, doesn’t pull away at all, just snuggles in closer to him.

They sit there like that for about ten minutes before Archie comes out, rubbing the back of his neck, to tell Jughead there’s more customers.

“Come back inside, she left.” he tells Betty and she silently follows.

Once inside she heads back to her booth she had shared with Polly while Archie stands at the door awkwardly. “Is she okay?” he asks.

“I think so. She didn’t say anything though.” Jughead responds before going over to the new customers.

He greets them with a fake smile, showing them the specials on the menu, and taking their drink orders.

“Alright man I’m gonna head out. We’ll finish this talk another day.” Archie says.

Jughead doesn’t really have time to say goodbye as another family comes through the door then, followed another behind it. With Sweet Pea out it’s just him left to not only wait on everyone but also cook the food. Yesterday had been steady but it was never more than he could handle at once. Today was proving to be more of a challenge.

He seated each family, getting drink orders and showing them the menu before taking a quick minute to check on Betty.

“You okay?” he asks, sweat making its way down his temple.

“I could ask you the same.” she replies, gesturing toward the door where a group of what looks like at least five people just walked in. He groans in response and just as he’s about to turn she stands, taking the notepad and pen from his apron.

“What are you doing?” He asks.

“Helping. I’m here, I’ve got nothing to do for the rest of the day, and I don’t know if you remember or not, but I used to work here.” she says, untying the apron from his waist and moving it to her own.

She doesn’t leave him time to argue before she walking off toward the group with a charming Betty Cooper smile plastered on her face. He should argue, he thinks, tell her to go back to his place and relax, but as more people come in the door he knows he’d drown without her.

The next several hours remain as busy as ever. Betty waits on every table while he stays in the kitchen making order after order. He hasn’t worked the kitchen like this since before Pop got sick and he’s starting to remember how much he hated it. It’s hot, his stomach continues to growl at the smells of all the food, and he’s beyond tired.

Betty shows no signs on not enjoying what she’s doing. There seems to be a permanent smile on her face everytime she brings him a new order or picks on up. More than a dozen times he’s heard her infectious laughter fill the diner and each time it makes his heart swell.

By the time the day has slowed down enough for either of them to take a break it’s nearly 6pm and Jughead decides to call it and early day.

“Closing early?” she asks from her spot at the counter, sipping her milkshake.

“Oh yeah. I don’t know about you but I’m wiped.” he replies coming around to stand across from her, bringing the straw from his own milkshake up to his mouth.

“Does Pop ever come in?” she asks, popping the cherry into her mouth.

It takes every ounce of willpower he holds in his body not to hyperfocus on her mouth and the way the inside of her lips are now stained the most beautiful shade of red.

“Uh, um no not really.” he says after clearing his throat. “He’s not able to do a lot of walking with the hip replacement. He mostly just checks in once a month to make sure the place is at least still bringing in enough money, which it is.”

“So you pretty much run the place?” With her straw she scoops the whipped cream off the top, spooning it onto her tongue. He’s not sure if she’s doing it on purpose but the action is so sensual he chokes. “You okay?”

“Yea sorry, wrong pipe.” He lies. “But yeah I do.”

She smiles and there’s a short comfortable silence between them before he asks, “Are you hungry?”

“Starving.”

They move into the kitchen where he throws a few burgers on the grill and some fries into the deep fryer. Betty busies herself loading up the dishwasher and taking out the trash.

They settle into a booth, plates full of food in front of them. It’s the third or fourth meal they’ve shared together since Betty has been back and he knows he shouldn’t, but he can’t help but love every second of it.

“Jug, can I ask you a question?” Betty asks taking a bit of her burger.

“Anything.” he replies taking a bite of his own.

“Do you, do you ever talk to your dad?” she seems hesitant to ask, her eyes unable to meet his.

This is it, he thinks. This is his opportunity to tell her the truth about his dad and why he left.

He clears his throat. “Um, no. I haven’t talked to my father since he left.”

“So he doesn’t know anything about your life or what you’ve been doing?”

“I don’t know if he does or not honestly. I know Fred has kept in contact with him a bit over the years so I’m sure he’s told him a few things, but I haven’t spoken to him.”

She doesn’t reply, just simply nods her head and he knows this is his chance.

“Betty, there’s actually something I need to tell you about that.”

This catches her attention and she looks up at him. Her hair, which was down when she got here earlier in the day is now pulled up into her signature ponytail and she looks so much like the girl he used to know that it catches him off guard.

“What is is Jug?” she asks innocently.

He takes in a deep breath. “Do you remember when you and Archie found out I joined the Serpents?”

“Yea it was right after your dad left.” she replies.

He shakes his head. “That’s not exactly the truth. Well it’s not the truth at all really.”

“What do you mean?” She stops eating, giving him her full attention.

He closes his eyes for a moment, feeling transported back to the night his dad left.

_ It’s midnight and the street lights cast and odd glow around the trailer park. Jughead always thinks this place looks best at night, with the cracks and rust hidden in the shadows. He’s sitting on his front porch, which is really just a small landing right outside the door to his trailer, a beer in hand waiting. It’s something he’s done since he was a child, sat on the porch with his legs swinging back and forth waiting for his dad to show up, only now instead of whatever book he hopes his dad will read him tonight he’s holding his fifth beer of the night, his left eye swollen shut and his upper right bicep itching and burning, the ink in the shape of a serpent now permanently a part of him. _

_ His dad hasn’t been home in a week. It’s not the longest he’s been gone but it doesn’t hurt any less. _

_ The sound of a grunt and a curse makes him look up. FP is sauntering up to the trailer, bloodshot eyes a mirror of Jughead’s. _

_ “What are you doing up this late boy?” FP says, making his way inside the trailer. _

_ Jughead hops up, tossing the empty beer bottle to the ground, before following his father inside. _

_ He stands against the door as FP rifles around in the fridge, looking for one of the beers Jughead just drank. _

_ “Fucking shit where’s all my...” He stops mid sentence when he makes eye contact with Jughead. “What the fuck happened to your face Jug?” His father’s brow creases as his eyes take in Jughead’s own, traveling down to the his arm. “What the fuck is that?” _

_ _ _ “I’m officially a Serpent dad.” He says, his speech a bit slurred. He tries to stand up right and square his shoulders, show his dad how much of a man he is now, but he sways a bit, the alcohol messing with his sense of balance. _

_ “Are you...” FP starts before bringing his hand to his mouth, as if it’s painful for the words to fall from him his lips. “Jughead are you drunk?” _

_ Jughead simply shrugs. He is. He always is these days, but so is FP so he’s not sure why it matters. _

_ “Boy what the fuck are you doing?” he stomps over to Jughead, a hard finger pointed in his direction. _

_ “I’m being like you dad.” The words fall easily from his mouth. _

_ The decision to join the very gang that had taken his dad from him time and time again may not make much sense from the outside, but as Jughead saw it, at east they’d have something in common. _

_ “Like fucking hell you are!” FP’s voices booms and echoes around the small trailer. “This isn’t... you’re not supposed to...” He stuttering, running his hands through his hair unable to comprehend what he’s seeing. _

_ “I’m not supposed to what dad?” _

_ “You’re better than this Jughead! You’re smart, you’ve got... potential!” FP yells. _

_ “Okay and? You think that’s enough?” Jughead laughs in response. _

_ “You’re not staying in the Serpents.” _

_ “Yes I am.” _

_ “I’m your father and I-” _

_ “Oh shit you are? Now you want to parent me? Is it hard to look in the mirror FP?” Jughead says gesturing to himself. _

_ “This isn’t about me Jughead, it’s about you. I’m going to let you just throw your life away.” _

_ “You really believe that don’t you? This couldn’t be about you at all. Your mistakes, your choices, they couldn’t possibly have any fucking affect on me at all could they!” He screaming now, feeling his blood pressure rise, he picks up the closest thing to him, a small lamp, and sends it flying across the trailer. “Did you think you could just fucking drink my whole life away and I’d still somehow come out of it unscathed. The smart kid from the wrong side of the tracks making something of himself despite his father’s addictions? Well guess what Dad, that’s not how this story ends.” _

_ _ _ FP grabs him by the neck, slamming him against the wall of the trailer. A picture frame filled with the only family picture they have falls and shatters when it hits the ground and Jughead laughs. It’s a perfect metaphor. _

_ Jughead looks FP in the eye the best he can, the hand on his neck not squeezing, just holding him in place. _

_ “Go ahead Dad. Hit me. Knock some sense into me.” He feels the tears building in his eyes. It’s not that he wants his dad to hit him, but he wants him to care. _

_ FP clenches his jaw, releasing Jughead. He stomps off into the small bedroom while Jughead catches his breath. When he returns he has a small bag filled with clothes in his hand, his Serpent leather on his back. _

_ “Where are you going?” Jughead calls out to him. _

_ FP doesn’t answer. He simply walks out the door. Jughead runs after him, tears falling freely from his eyes now. He tries to stop him, using all his strength to tackle him, but it doesn’t work. _

_ “Stop it Jughead!” FP screams shrugging him off, continuing his pace out of the trailer park. _

_ Jughead falls to the ground on his knees. He wants to scream, to kick, to fight. He wants his dad to care that he’s a fuck up, to scream at him, to ground him, to just do something. _

_ He not sure how long he sits there on the ground in the middle of the trailer park crying, but when he finally makes it back inside he feels numb, broken. It’s like the nail in the coffin that cements his life into place. _

“My dad left because I joined the Serpents.” he says finally.

“I don’t understand.”

He’s wanted to have this conversation with Betty since the day he stepped out of rehab but now that’s it happening he doesn’t know how to make her understand.

“Back then, I just wanted my dad to care. Half the time he was gone and when he wasn’t, he was too drunk to even be a parent or notice my existence. The night he left, it was the first time in like a year that he had even looked at me. For a brief moment I really thought it worked. That joining the Serpents and acting out was finally getting me the attention I was craving. But the moment came and it took it with him.” He explains not meeting her eyes. “He left and never came back.”

Betty stays silent for a long moment, lost in thought. When she finally looks up at him he expects her to be angry, to yell at him for lying, or maybe just walk out.

“Why didn’t you tell us the truth Jug?” He hadn’t expected her to ask why, though now that she has he’s not sure why he hadn't expected it.

Archie hadn’t asked. Just simply nodded and told Jughead he forgave him.

“To be honest, I don’t really remember the logic behind it. I knew you would be mad about me joining the Serpents and by telling you it was because my dad left I gained pity points. It was manipulative and... I’m sorry for that.”

He lets out an audible sigh as he feels a very real weight lift from his chest.

“I’m sorry too. I’m sorry you had to go through that alone and you didn’t feel like you could tell us the truth... tell me the truth without judgement. That’s not fair to you.”

There’s never been a moment in his friendship with Betty where she didn’t surprise him. In third grade when he accidentally ruined her science fair project he expected her to scream or cry but instead he placed her small hand on his shoulder and told him accidents happen and that he could help her rebuild it. She had her mom make cookies that night and he’d never been so happy that he was clumsy. In eighth grade when Jughead made fun of Betty’s polka book bag with Reggie Mantle simply because for a brief moment in time he wanted to fit in he thought for sure he’s lost her for good. When he apologized the next day she simply forgave him, simple as that.

And now, after he had told her that he had lied to her and manipulated her instead of getting angry, she said sorry. He felt stunned.

“Betty you don’t... you don’t have to apologize. We all had our own shit going on then.”

“I know but still. And if forgiveness is what you are looking for here then, I forgive you Juggie.”

The nickname makes his stomach ache in the best possible way. He wants to reach out and brush the strand of hair that has escaped her ponytail off her forehead but the buzzing of his phone in his pocket stops him.

The caller ID tells him it’s Frank and he gives Betty a small smile, holding a finger up, before he moves out of the booth and to the back to answer it.

“Hey Frank, what’s up?” He says into the receiver.

“Nothing much man. Haven’t heard from you in a few days, or seen you at any meetings, just wanted to check in.” Frank says.

“I’m good, I’m really good. I’m actually having dinner with Betty right now.”

“How’s that going?” Frank asks and he can hear the concern in his voice.

“It’s going good actually. She’s um...” He pauses. He already knows what Frank will say about what he has to tell him. “She’s staying with me for the next few weeks. Until the wedding.”

There’s a moment of silence before Frank speaks up.

“Is that a good idea?”

“I don’t if it’s good or bad. It felt right in the moment.” Jughead explains and it’s the truth.

“Why don’t you swing by the meeting at Central tonight. Bring Betty with you.”

It’s not uncommon for addicts and alcoholics to bring significant other’s, family, or even close friends to open meetings. It’s encouraged as a way to show them another side of addiction, to show them that you are really putting in the work. Archie has gone to a few meetings with him, and Toni, who’s dad was also an alcoholic, regularly attends them with him. She says it keeps her sober.

“I’ll be there.” he says, making no promises about Betty.

They hang up and he takes a minute to collect himself before going back out to the booth where Betty is waiting for him. When he does, she’s absentmindedly scrolling through her phone, her lips wrapped around the end of the straw drinking her milkshake. He wants to smack himself for the vision of her lips wrapped around something else that comes to his mind.

“Sorry about that, it was my sponsor Frank.” He explains sliding in across from her.

“Is a sponsor sort of like a life coach?” she asks.

He laughs. “Not really. There’s a meeting not to far from here I’m going to tonight. I’d like you to come with me. Frank will be there. He’d love to meet you.”

She stares at him for a moment before a slow smiles takes over her face.

“I’d love to go with you Juggie.”

 


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am VERY excited about this chapter! I feel like a to of you are going to sigh in relief! lol 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

The place Jughead had called Central, is actually the basement at a presbyterian church in Greendale. The room, which has a small stage but is mostly empty save for the rows of chairs and the small table in the front, is echoey and grey. There are motivational posters that line the walls with sayings such ‘One day at a time’ and ‘It works if your worth it.’ Off to the side there’s a table filled with drinks and snacks and it’s no surprise to Betty that that’s the first place Jughead leads her too. 

He fills up two plates with cookies and other sweets, handing them to Betty when he’s done so he can fill up to small cups with coffee. They find seats, not in the front or the back, but somewhere in the middle. Betty tries not to stare at the people around her, the ones who look forlorn and even sick. 

“So this is an AA meeting, which is Alcoholics Anonymous, but it’s an open meeting so there will be some people whose addiction is to drugs not alcohol. They operate the same though.” Jughead explains, leaning in close and whispering. Betty tries to ignore the way his breath against her ear causes goosebumps to rise on her skin.

A tall African American man with grey hair takes a seat next to an older Latina woman at the table in the front. Betty watches them exchange pleasantries while flipping through a large binder in front of them before the man clears his throat to get the rooms attention. The sound echoes loudly off the walls and within a minute the quiet chatter that had been taking places quiets completely and every eyes is on the man and woman in the front. 

“I’d like to welcome you all to the Sunday night Central open meeting, my name is John and I’ll be leading the meeting tonight.” The man says clicking his pen on the table. 

Jughead leans back and places an arm over the back of Betty’s chair, his hand instinctively resting on her shoulder. He makes likes he going to move it but Betty reaches up and links her fingers in his. She tries to tell herself it doesn’t mean anything, just two old friends finding comfort in each other during an uncomfortable moment. 

“Before we get started I go through and celebrate those celebrating clean time.” John continues. “Do we have anyone here celebrating their first day sober or clean?” 

John lifts his chin, gesturing to the back of the room, and Betty turns her head to see a boy no older than 17 with dark hair and even darker eyes, his free hand raised in the air. His other is linked with the girl sitting next to him. She seems to be about the same age as him, though her eyes look sadder somehow. She’s got dark brown curly hair and a dark black rings of left over makeup around her eyes. Her free hand is also raised. 

“Come on up here and get your chips.” John says. 

The couple seem unsure but nevertheless they shuffle up toward the front, never letting go of each other. Betty feels something in her chest crack, trying to imagine what kind of life this pair of teenagers has that has lead them to this very room, seeking help. Jughead gives her hand a reassuring squeeze, as if he can sense her unease. 

Once the pair has gone back to their seats John continues on. “Anyone celebrating 30 days?” He asks. 

The room is silent, no hands raised. 

“How about 60 days?” 

An older man in the front row raises his hands and promptly leans forward to grab his chip. John gives him a small smile while handing him the chip but quickly continues. 

“Anyone celebrating 90 days?” He asks. 

Again the room stays silent. 

“Anyone with a year or more, even if you already have a chip.” John asks. 

Jughead raises the hand not currently linked with Betty’s. John smiles wide at him, lifting his chin in acknowledgment. Betty expects Jughead to get up, to collect whatever the chip is, but he stays put.

“Anyone with 5, 10, 20 or more?” 

A few hands go up, followed by the shuffling of feet to the front. Betty takes this moment to turn to Jughead and ask, “Why didn’t you go get your chip?” 

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out what appears to be a small gold coin and hands it to Betty. She unlinks her hand with his, holding the chip in the palm of one hand and flipping it over with the other. One on side it has a small triangle with the roman numeral for one inside of it. The three words Unity, Service, Recovery are written along the three side of the triangle. In an arch along the top of the coin it says ‘To thine own self be true.’ She runs her index finger over it briefly before flipping it over. The other side is filled with words in italics that say, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I can not change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Its heavy and solid in her hand and she wraps her fingers around it and holds it to her chest as she returns her other hand to link with Jughead. 

She looks up at him and the look on his face is both pained and hopeful and Betty wants nothing more to reach up and smooth her hand over his cheek. 

Once everyone has taken their seats again John, the leader, goes on to tell a little bit about his story and how he got here. He explains that he’s a veteran, honorably discharged after a bad injury to his knee. Coming back home, he felt like failure. He struggled to deal with these emotions while trying to find work and make a life for himself. He explains that his father was also an alcoholic, a point in the story in which Betty can feel Jughead tense up next to her. 

When he’s done he passes the floor on to the rest of the room. A few people briefly tell everyone why they are here, things they are dealing with in their life now that are making it difficult to stay sober or clean. As people talk, Betty can’t seem to stop her eyes from drifting behind her to the left, to where the teenage couple are sitting. The girl is resting her head on the boy’s shoulder as they listen, their hands gripping each other’s so tightly Betty can see the whites of their knuckles. 

The meeting doesn’t last longer than an hour. They close it out with the same prayer Betty read on the back of Jughead’s coin, and when it’s done, everyone seems to linger and talk. Jughead leads Betty back over to the snack table where they are met by and older looking gentleman with long grey hair pulled back into a ponytail she hadn’t noticed before. 

“Betty I’d like you to meet my sponsor. This is Frank Carlton.” Jughead says, his arms handing over her shoulders. 

Frank seems to notice this but doesn’t say anything. Instead he extends a hand and says, “I’ve heard a lot about you Betty. It’s good to finally put a face to a name. A very pretty face.” 

She blushes at the compliment, shaking his large hand, “Thank you. Jughead hasn’t really told me much about you but it’s nice to meet you.” 

“So what did you think of the meeting?” He asks. 

“I thought it was really good. It’s a lot like group therapy.” She says biting her bottom lip. 

“It is, it’s meant to be. I take it you’ve been?” He asks.

“I have. Three years ago, I was in- “ She pauses unsure of why she’s offering this information to a stranger. She hadn’t even told Jughead about the program she had been in that helped her recover from self-harm. “Yes, I have.” She finishes looking up at Jughead briefly. 

If Jughead is at all curious about what what she was supposed to say, he doesn’t show it. He simply smiles and pulls her in closer, a move Frank seems to furrow his brow at. 

“So uh, Jug do you think I could talk to you for a minute?” Frank asks, and it’s clear the intent is for it to be in private. 

She looks up at Jughead whose grip on her only gets tighter and she knows he’s about to tell Frank no, but she doesn’t give him a chance. 

“Go ahead Jug. I have to make a phone call anyway.” She lies gesturing toward the exit. 

She give his hand one last squeeze before walking off. 

She makes her way up the outside steps and around to the front of the church. It’s a small understated building, nothing like the large Catholic churches on every corner of Manhattan. She sits down on the small bench out front, taking a moment to breath. 

“Do you have a smoke?” A small voice causes her to jump. The young girl, who Betty is seeing for the first time not linked with the boy she had sat with all night, is standing in front of her one hand on her hip. 

“No, sorry, I don’t smoke.” She replies, giving the girl and apologetic smile. 

“No worries. I should probably be quitting that too, seeing as I am pregnant and all.” The girl says and Betty’s eyes snap to her stomach where for the first time she noticing a small swell. 

Her heart sinks. It’s not enough that the girl is just a teenager and already struggling with addiction, but to find out she’s pregnant, it’s heartbreaking. Betty wants to reach out and comfort her, do something, but she’s not sure what. 

“Angela you coming or what?” A voice comes from somewhere Betty can’t see and she knows it must be the boy she had come with. 

“Yea I’m coming I’m coming.” The girls calls out and like that she’s gone. 

Betty feels an uncomfortable feeling in her gut and she places her hands as flat as possible against her thighs, trying desperately to stop herself from curling her fingers inward to the scars that litter her palms. Just as she begins counting backwards from ten, Jughead appears. 

He seems annoyed, maybe even angry, but when he comes to sit next to her, taking in her current state, that seems to melt away. 

“You okay?” he asks, linking his hand in hers. 

She looks at their hands for a moment before moving her eyes up to his. In the darkness of the night they look impossibly dark, with tiny flecks of silver that seem to mimik the stars on clear night. They seem to be searching hers, for what she doesn’t know, but she smiles in response, giving his hand a light squeeze. 

“Yes I’m okay.” She says. 

For a moment she thinks he might kiss her, with the way he leans forward slightly, wetting his bottom lip with his tongue, but he seems to correct himself right away, running a over the back of his neck. 

“You hungry at all?” He asks, his voice cracking slightly. 

She simply shakes her head, not trusting the sound of her own voice at this moment. 

“Let’s go home.” he says finally and Betty can’t help but notice the way her heart seems to give at the sound of the word ‘home’. 

The ride home, on the back of Jughead’s bike, with his flannel once again wrapped around her, feels different but she’s not quite sure why. Jughead takes the road along the river and she looks out, watching the trees and water whiz by them in a blur, the wind blowing against her face. For a moment she’s taking back to another time they road this exact road, taking it all the way up to the end of Sweetwater River. 

_ Betty awakes to a strange tapping sound. She sits up, looking around her room, trying to figure out where it’s coming from.  _

_ Tap, tap, tap.  _

_ The sound happens again and she whips her head to the right, where the moonlight in shining in her window. She hesitantly gets up and pads across the short distance on her tiptoes. Right outside her window, balancing at the top of a later, is Jughead. He’s wearing his Serpent jacket and as much as she hates that thing and everything it stands for, she can’t deny how good he looks in it. Like a young James Dean.  _

_ “Hey there Juliet.” He says once she opened the window. “Can I come in?”  _

_ She stands back, suddenly all to aware that she’s only wearing a t-shirt and makes room for him. He climbs in rather ungracefully and she stifle a giggle.  _

_ “What are you doing here Jug?” She asks, looking over at her clock. It’s nearly 4am.  _

_ “Get dressed.” He says simply. “We’re going for a ride.”  _

_ “For a ride where?” She asks with a laugh, placing her hands on her hips. She wonders if he’s drunk, but she can’t smell the tell-tale stench of stale beer wafting off of him and she also doesn’t think he’d be able to climb a ladder if he was.  _

_ “The ends of Sweetwater. I want to take a picture as soon as the sun starts to rise.” He’s excited, a light in his eyes she hasn’t seen in years.  _

_ It takes her exactly one minute to decide. She’d go anywhere with him truthfully.  _

_ She walks over to her dresser and pulls out a pair of jeans and a sweater. He’s watching her when she turns around so she give him a look and waves her finger in a circular motion, indicating she wants him to turn around so she can change.  _

_ “Oh shit, sorry.” he says quickly, turning to face the wall.  _

_ “It’s fine,” she says, cheeks burning.  _

_ Once she’s dressed they make their way back down the ladder and off to his bike, which he parked a little ways down the street, as not to wake her parents. They ride along the road parallel to the river for nearly a half hour until they reach the end. Sweetwater ends at a large dam. The an overlooking bridge that runs the length of the dam and Jughead takes her hands and leads her across it.  _

_ The water is loud rushing below them and the air is cold. She hugs her arms around herself wishing she had thought to grab more than just a sweater when she feels the heavy weight of Jughead’s leather Serpent jacket on her shoulders. It smells old books and pine and something else and she buries herself in the collar.  _

_ The spend the next half hour just talking and waiting for the sun to rise. When it starts, Jughead is poised with his camera up to his eye, adjusting his settings after every few shots. Betty watches him for a long moment before walking a little ways down the bridge to get a better view for herself.  _

_ It’s a clear morning so the orange pink of the sun's rays span out as far her eye can see, overtaking the horizon. It almost looks unreal, the way the colors bleed into each other like a water painting come to life. She rests her arms on the banister and turns her head up to sky, letting the warmth of the sun’s rising rays play on her skin. She know she should feel a sense of calm or peace at the beautiful sight in front of her but she can’t help the tears that start to form in her eyes and her lack of emotion toward the sight.  _

_ Betty has felt like this for a while, since before Polly left, but as time goes on it only gets worse. It’s like she feels nothing and everything at the same time, and she wants nothing more than to make it all stop. Her fingers curl into her palms, the familiar bite of her finger nails breaking the skin on her palms bringing her back to the moment.  _

_ The sound of the shutter on Jughead’s camera grows louder and she turns to find him standing closer, his camera aimed directly at her. He lowers it slightly, a small smirk on his face and she rolls her eyes in response.  _

_ They ride home a bit slower than they did on the ride there, neither one of them really wanting to go back. Jughead helps her back up the ladder and back into her room before he leaves. She curls up under her pink comforter, pulling it up over her head. It’s too bright in her room now and she wants nothing more than to block it all out. She falls back to sleeping dreaming of sun rises and leather jackets.  _

As they pull onto his street she wonders if he still has his Serpent jacket. 

Once inside his apartment Betty excuses herself to the bathroom to change. Ever since the meeting there’s been this palpable tension between them that she can’t name but it’s making her feel tense and on edge. They’ve come a long way in the last week but there still so many walls between them, so much time to make up for, and so much left unsaid. 

She changes into the clothes he had given her the first night she stayed, pulls her hair up into a messy bun, and brushes her teeth before taking a deep breath and heading back out into the main living area. Jughead is in the kitchen, his focus on the cutting board in front of him and whatever it is he’s taken to cutting. He’s removed his Pop’s shirt, standing there in only his low hung jeans and a tight white undershirt. 

It’s the first time she’s gotten a proper look at his body and like she’s suspected, he is much more filled out and defined. His arms are larger, making the Serpent tattoo that still stand out in stark contrast to his skin on his right bicep seem impossibly small. The sight of him like this does something to her insides and she bites her bottom lip, willing her body to stop acting like a horny teenager before making her way over to him.

“What are you making?” She asks, taking a seat on the stool across from him at the island. 

“Honey chicken stir fry.” He responds, looking up briefly to give her a smile. 

She watches as he deposits the chicken he had been cutting into the pan, the sauce sizzling and cracking. He turns the heat down as he stirs it around a bit. Moving to the fridge, he pulls out an assortment of vegetables: green peppers, broccoli, onions, and brings them over to where he is working. He swiftly replaces the dirty cutting board with a clean one before he starts chopping the vegetables again. 

His hands move quickly and with ease, his strong doing a dance they’ve clearly done before. She doesn’t realize she’s been staring until he clears his throat, the sound causing her to jump slightly. 

“So back at the meeting, you said something about being in group therapy?” He asks, looking up at her for a moment. 

The question comes out of nowhere and Betty’s hands find the hem of his t-shirt she’s wearing, weaving in and out her fingers, just to give herself something to do with them. 

“Ah you caught that did you.” She responds, trying to make light of what would eventually be a heavy conversation. 

Jughead smiles as he scoops up the chopped broccoli and places it into the pan with the chicken. “Yeah, I did.” 

She gets up from her spot, moving around to the sink where there’s a small stack of dishes. She opens the dishwasher and begins putting away the clean ones, wanting something to distract her. 

“The beginning of my Junior year at Columbia I sort of had an episode.” She says, reaching to put a plate away on a shelf a bit out of her reach. Jughead plucks it from her hand and puts it in place easily, before leaning his lower back on the counter next to her with his arms crossed. 

“An episode? What kind of an episode?” He asks, tilting his head with his brows furrowed. 

“The kind where your roommate finds wandering outside your dorm barefoot in nothing but a t-shirt mumbling and crying.” She said matter of factly.

He gives her a pained and somewhat concerned look so she takes a deep breath and stops messing with the dishes to fully explain. 

“I hadn’t been able to sleep for like four days straight and I was trying to finish this big project and the stress of it all just got to me and I snapped.” She says, looking down to the floor. “I ended up wandering around our dorm for god knows how long. Veronica had been looking for me for like two hours. After that I went into a group therapy program. It’s where I got help with-” She pauses holding up arms up, palms facing upwards. 

His eyes flicker to her palms and wrists, both littered with thin white scars of all different size. Tentatively he brings a hand up and runs his index finger along the crescent moon shaped scars on her right palm. His touch his so light she almost doesn’t feel it but the electric shock currently running through her body is feeling enough. She goes to close her hand, but he stops her, slipping each of his between her fingers and her palms before bringing them up to his mouth. He closes his eyes, kissing along her knuckles and Betty sucks in a sharp breath at the feeling of his soft lips on her skin. 

He seems to notice what he’s doing because his eyes snap open suddenly and they are filled with something Betty can only describe as fire, the blue of his irises growing darker. His eyes flicker down to her mouth and she instinctively runs her tongue over her bottom lip before pulling it between her teeth. This seems to spark something in Jughead because he drops her hands and moves one of his to her chin tugging ever so slightly until her bottom lip is freed, a small sigh escaping his own. 

She’s not sure what to do; the moment feeling so intimate and raw. On one hand she wants to launch her lips at his but on the other she knows that’s probably not a good idea. He seems to be struggling with the same impossibilities, internally fighting himself because he moves the hand on her chin to the side of her face, cradling her jaw. She leans in, closing her eyes and soaking up the warmth of his skin. 

“Betts.” He breathes between a clench jaw, the facade of willpower fading. 

“Juggie.” Is all she can say in response. 

There’s a palpable spark, like the strike of a match igniting a flame, and without words they meet in the middle, their lips crashing together. Betty pours all of herself into that kiss, every last dream she’s had of him and this moment, paling by comparison. He seems to do the same, as he buries his one hand in her hair, his other wrapping around her waist to bring her as close as possible. Her own have somehow found their way to the hair at the nape of his neck, tugging and pulling him in. 

When they come up for air Jughead moves his mouth to her neck, sucking and biting at the pulse point, causing a fire to burn hot in Betty’s lower abdomen that makes her involuntarily buck her hips into him. The hand around her waist moves to a tight grip on her hip, stilling her in place. He moves his forehead to rest against hers as his their chests rise and fall with each heavy panting breath. 

“What are we doing Betty?” He asks, eyes closed. 

“I, I don’t know Juggie but...” She says and he opens his eyes to meet her gaze, “please don’t stop.” 

Her words are the kindling for the flame, setting them both ablaze. As his mouth lands on hers, he manages to lift her up, wrapping her legs around the waste. She’s only half aware of him reaching to turn the stove off as her carries to his room. 

As soon as her back hits the mattress he’s hovering over her, his hips angled between her legs, and she can already feel his hardened length, the proof of her effect on him. She tangles her hands in his hair again, angling his head to deepen the kiss. 

His hands are everywhere, like the night they first made love, only this time with more confidence and less fumbling. Betty reaches down the hem of his shirt and he lifts up slightly so she can pull it off of him. Running her hands over his bare chest she takes in every dip and curve of muscle, tracing her fingers over two tiny moles at the bottom of his chest and the top of his abdomen. She takes it all in until her fingers reach the small ratch of his leading into the waistband of his pants. 

She looks up at him and he takes in a sharp breath, before tugging on the shirt of that she’s wearing, indicating he’d like to take it off of her. She nodes almost imperceptibly, sitting up slightly to help him pull it off. She’s isn’t wearing a bra and his eyes go impossibly dark at the sight of her. 

If it were anyone else she’s feel embarrassed, she would try to cover herself, but as Jughead’s hand traces a line from her collar bone down her sternum, and over to her hardened nipple all she can feel is fire. She arches into his touch as he spreads a hand out to cup her fully squeezing gently before lowering his mouth over her. He sucks and flicks at her nipple with his tongue, releasing a string of moans from her mouth and causing her hips to buck wildly, searching for any kind of friction to dull the ache in her core. 

Jughead places a bruising grip on her hip, halting her movements and Betty moans and pouts in response. She wants him, more like needs him, and he’s going so impossibly slow she might explode. 

He shifts slightly giving himself better leverage as he slowly moves his hand from her breast, smoothing it over her stomach, only to stop just above the waistband of her shorts, waiting for approval. She nods quickly, swallowing at nothing as he moves his hand into her shorts and under the thing material of her cotton underwear. 

“Fuck.” He says, through a clenched jaw and she’s knows it’s in response to how wet she is. 

She’s dreamt of this moment for the last five years, using images of their first and only time together to help push her over the edge on the nights the ache became to much. From the moment she saw him in Pop’s that first night back she’s trying and failing to keep these thoughts from her mind. 

He works his finger in slow circular motions over her clit, spurring her closer and closer to the edge. She lifts her hips to him unable to control the movements her body is making. His mouth finds the pulse point of her neck and it’s her undoing. She falls apart quickly crying out his name as she does. 

The moment she finishes coming down she’s reaching for the waistband of his pants, like an addict desperate for more. 

“Betts wait,” he says, stopping her hands. “You don’t,” he pauses to clear his throat, “we don’t have to.” 

“I want to Juggie. I want you. I want all of you,” the words spill from her mouth so fast she feels almost crazed. 

This seems to be all the reassurance he needs. He stands suddenly, undoing his belt and pulling his pants off. Betty used this time to rid herself of her shorts and now soaked underwear. Before he lays back down he reaches over to the nightstand and pulls out a condom. Betty tries desperately to ignore the nagging thought in her brain that he has condoms in his bedside because he has had sex with other people. It’s not like she hasn’t either, but its still an unpleasant thought, one she quickly pushes to the back of her mind once he positioned between her legs again. 

She kissed him hard and deep, wanting to show him just how much she wants this without using words. He right at her entrance now and with one last look searching for approval, to which she nods quickly, he pushes into her, filling her entirely. 

He moves in a slow steady rhythm, pumping in and out, and Betty meets this rhythm with her hips. It’s like a dance they’ve been doing their whole life and it feels so right she could cry. 

“Fuck you feel so good Betts,” he says picking up the pace slightly. Betty moans in response, her breathing more like panting at this point. 

“Oh god yes,” she cries out when he goes deeping, hitting the perfect spot. He takes this as a hint and thrusts into her harder and harder each time. “Fuck. Yes Juggie. Harder.” She moans. 

He sits up, grabbing her hips to reposition her so her bottom is lifted up slightly off the bed, and begins to drive into her harder and harder. 

Betty’s hands are above her head, gripping tightly onto the sheets. 

“Touch yourself,” he says meeting her gaze and she doesn’t even blush, just quickly moves a hand ot her center and begins her motions. 

She can tell he’s getting close, trying hard to concentrate, so she picks up her pace wanting to go with him. It doesn’t take long before she’s teetering on the edge with him. 

“I’m- I’m close,” she manages to say. 

He moans loudly picking up his pace and before she knows it she’s spilling over, the tension inside her giving way as her orgasm makes its way through her body. It’s the most intense it’s ever been and without realizing it the words “I love you” fall from her lips. 

He still only for a second before he’s finishing with a harsh thrust. His lips meet hers as he swallows her moans. They stay like that for moment, softly kissing before he pulls out and moves to discard the condom. Betty quickly moves up the bed, crawling under the sheets, leaving room for him. 

When he gets back into bed he immediately pulls her into his arms, snuggling his face into her hair. It’s a huge weight off her chest that he does so with ease, like a wall being broken down between them. 

They stay like that for a while, tracing small circles on each other’s skin wherever they can reach before Jughead’s stomach growls loudly. 

“Hungry?” she asks laughing. 

“I could eat,” he responds, though by his tone she’s not sure if he’s talking about food or not. 

“Let’s go eat that stir fry you made,” she responds. 

An hour later they are seated on the floor of the living room in front of the coffee table, plates empty and bellies full, watching the an episode of Friends. They are leaning against the couch, Betty’s head resting on his shoulder, when he turns the TV off and turns to her. 

“Betty,” he says and she feels her stomach twist, worried she might not like what he has to say. 

“What is it Jug?” she asks, looking up at him. 

“I love you too.” 

He says it so simply, so matter-of-factly that she almost can’t believe it. She closes her eyes and smiles in response as he places his lips on hers, and before she knows it they are making love right there on the floor. 

Saying ‘I love you’ was a first for both of them and for better worse, regardless of whatever else happened this month or for the rest of their lives, Betty would carry those words and this moment with her for the rest of her life. 

 


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right off the bat I want to apologize for the long stretch in between updating! I really hope everyone hasn't forgotten about this story! 
> 
> This chapter is a little different and I hope that's okay! It's still important to the story so I hope everyone likes it! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

Jughead struggles to keep the smile off of his face as he unlocks the front door to Pop’s, readying the diner for the day. He and Betty spent the second night in a row wrapped around each other only this time there were no walls or barriers between them. Leaving her this morning, her soft face pressed against his bare chest as she slept soundly through the blaring of his alarm, had been a hard test of his will power. When he finally did manage to extricate himself from the bed, he cursed Sweet Pea under his breath the entire ride to the diner. 

The last time they had made love, which was for the first time, he wanted nothing more than to pretend it had never happened, not because he didn’t enjoy it, but because he strongly felt Betty deserved better, deserved more. Back then he hadn’t left her a note, hadn’t answered her calls, and had done his very best to avoid her for as long as possible. This time though, he made sure to write her a well thought out note, as well as text her so that there would be no doubt in her mind how he felt about last night, even if there were doubts in his. 

It’s not that he doesn’t love Betty, it wasn’t a lie when he told her as much. It’s mostly the annoying voice in his head reminding him that for better or worse he’s still an alcoholic, from the wrong side of town, with a less than savory past. Along with that, he was so fresh into recovery, only a little over two years clean, that jumping into any kind of relationship was a risk, one his sponsor Frank had made a point to remind him of last night. 

He knew that everything Frank said was right. It’s fast, and too much change at once is a lot for him to take on, but it didn’t stop the anger her felt toward the man. Nothing good ever came easy for Jughead and it seemed that this was no different. Frank had asked him what would happen after the wedding, when it was time for Betty to go back to her life and Jughead to continue on with his and he didn’t have an answer. Up until last night he had been under the impression they were just working toward fixing their fractured friendship, but he’d be a liar if he denied feeling the tension and spark that had been growing between them the last few days. 

It was like highschool all over again. The flirty looks, the accidental brushing up against one another. It’s funny to think that a teenage boy with raging hormones had seemed to have more self control than a grown man who had managed to give up an addiction to alcohol, but all it took was her to say his name and he was gone. Even now, just thinking about the way she looked up at him, he’s struggles to keep the goofy grin off his face. 

“Someone sure does look happy.” 

The sound of a Veronica’s voice causes him to jump and drop the stack of tens he had been filing the register with. He furrows his brow at her, having not heard the bell on the door chime, wondering how long she had been standing there watching him grin like an idiot. 

“What are you doing here Veronica?” he asks, picking the bills up and quickly placing them in the register. 

“A girl can’t come to her favorite diner to get breakfast?” she asks, holding a hand out in question. 

“Of course a girl can, when said diner is open,” he responds gesturing toward the sign on the door, which is still turned to read “closed” to the outside. 

Veronica simply shrugs a shoulder before turning in a flourish to make her way toward a booth in the back. She’s wearing a black cloak, one so similar to the one she was wearing the first day they met right here in this same diner, and he wonders if she’s immune to the weather like some kind of vampire because even on his bike, the ride to work was a hot one. 

_ The snow outside falls in silence, blanketing the town in a soft white glow. Jughead is seated next to Archie, across from Betty, in a booth at Pop’s eating the fires Betty doesn’t want from her plate. It’s Friday night, the end of the first week of their Freshman year of high school and Betty and Archie are arguing over, yet again, what movie they should all go see tonight when the door to Pop’s opens and with a gust of wind in walks what he’s almost sure is dracula’s daughter.  _

_ “Who is THAT?” Archie says next to him, causing Betty to turn in the direction his eyes are frozen toward.  _

_ Jughead rolls his own. Ever since the summer Archie has been obsessed with girls. All except Betty of course, which he’s silently thankful for. She hasn’t seemed to show any interest in Archie either and Jughead thinks maybe this will be the year he finally tells Betty how he really feels.  _

_ “I think that’s the new girl,” Betty responds, turning back to them and plopping a fry in her mouth.  _

_ “New girl?” Jughead groans.  _

_ Riverdale is a relatively small town, not small enough that everyone knows everyone but small enough that you could walk just about anywhere, North or South, in less than a half hour. He figures he probably should have heard about a new girl coming to town, though he’s not exactly privy to all the gossip.  _

_ “Yes. I think her name is Valerie or Veronica or something. Something with a V. I heard Cheryl gossiping about it in the bathroom today,” she explains.  _

_ If this were a cartoon Archie’s eyes would be comically popping out of his head and his jaw would literally be on the floor. He hasn’t said anything in the last five minutes and Jughead wonders if maybe he’s had a stroke of some sort. _

_ The girl Betty has said is either Valerie or Veronica seems to notice them, being just about the only kids her age in Pop’s at the hour, the rest of their kids out at the drive-in, or the bijou, or even at Cheryl’s or Reggies, and makes her way over to the booth.  _

_ “Hi, I’m Veronica Lodge. This is probably super weird, but I’m new and you guys look like you are at least a year or so within my age range so I figured I’d introduce myself,” she says, her gloved hands folded together primly in front of her.  _

_ “Hey Veronica. I’m Betty Cooper, that is Jughead Jones, and this Archie Andrews,” Betty says, her hand gesturing around the table before extending out toward Veronica, who quickly removes a glove and shakes it. Betty scooches over to make room, patting the spot next to her, “Please sit.”  _

_ Veronica’s eyes beam with something Jughead doesn’t understand as she glances around the table to Jughead and Archie, probably making sure they don’t mind. He shrugs and Archie manages to pick his jaw up off the floor before shaking his head quickly.  _

_ She takes the given spot next to Betty and the four of them spend the next three hours and many milkshakes getting to know each other.  _

Jughead wonders what their lives would have been like if Veronica hadn’t blown in with the winter storm that cold Friday night but doesn’t get the chance to get lost in that thought before she’s clearing her throat to get his attention. He rolls his eyes in response. 

“What can I get you Veronica?” he asks. 

It’s clear she isn’t going to leave even though they aren’t open. 

“Just a cup of coffee, decaf, thank you and if you have a moment, I’d like you to join me, so we can talk,” she responds, though she seems hesitant. 

Jughead gives her a confused look before turning and grabbing a cup from the shelf above. He fills the cup nearly to the brim, knowing that, like him, Veronica drinks her coffee black. That and the color of their hair are the only two things he’s found him and Veronica to have in common. Though he supposes their shared love for Betty might be worth mentioning as well. 

He carries the cup over to the table and gently places it in front of her, watching her hands wrap around it almost immediately before taking a seat across from her. It’ll probably be another hour before any customers show up and he’s got most of what needs to be done, done, so he can spare her a few moments. 

Veronica blows softly on the brown liquid before taking a hesitant sip. He watches the steam float up and disappear into the air. 

“Betty is my best friend,” she says finally. 

“She’s mine too,” he responds, a bit more chipped than he had meant. 

“Yes, I know, which is why I’m here,” she says looking him right in the eye. He doesn’t respond, giving her time to gather her thoughts before she continues on saying whatever she came here to say. 

“I may not have known the details of what happened between you and Betty the past four years but I knew Betty well enough to know  _ something _ happened. I could see it in her eyes every time a boy flirted with her, or when she came home early from dates with guys that were amazing. It was always especially clear on her face the morning after she’d spend a night with a guy.” 

Jughead internally winces at the image of Betty with another guy. He’s not naive enough to think she had spent the last five years alone and miserable, even he hadn’t done that, but it also didn’t mean he wanted to hear about it. 

“I don’t want to hear about that Veronica,” he says holding a hand up. 

“You may not want to but you need to,” she says, leaning forward a bit before turning to look out the window. “Betty has loved you her entire life. I watched her turn down guy after guy never finding what she was really looking for in any of them. For the last five years she focused solely on writing and repairing the damage done to her psyche by Alice Cooper and my god she has come a long way. I might be angry with her for not telling me about what happened, and for the hurtful things she said, but she’s still my best friend and I will be damned if I let you break her heart again.” 

When she looks back at Jughead there’s a fire in her eyes Jughead’s not sure he’s seen before. He never doubted Veronica’s love and loyalty to Betty, but until now he hadn’t known how deep it ran. 

“Veronica I would never break her heart. Not intentionally at least,” he responds softly. 

“The problem is you already did once before. God Jughead, Betty was a mess. I know she was trying so hard to keep it together and be the strong friend but,” she pauses shaking her head a bit, “she would have nightmares where’d she wake up calling out for you. I don’t even think she knows I know.” 

Jughead feels the air leave his lungs. He knew he had hurt her, he could see the pain clear as day on her face the day he told her it would never work, but he didn’t realize how much. They hadn’t even really talked about that day, not enough for him to apologize at least, and now he’s starting to feel like maybe last night was a mistake as well. Maybe they rushed this. 

“I didn’t…” he starts to say but doesn’t stops. 

“You didn’t know. You didn’t mean to crush her. I get it. She probably does too but it doesn’t change that you did. I don’t know what’s going on between you two now Jug, and it’s really none of my business, but what I do know is that whatever it is, I need you to be sure about it. I know you weren’t then but I need you to be now,” her voice is shaky and Jughead thinks she might cry but instead she takes another sip of her coffee. 

“I couldn’t give her what she wanted then,” he says simply, looking down at his hands. 

“Can you now?” she asks. 

He doesn’t answer. Instead he turns to look out the window briefly before turning back to Veronica. In truth, he doesn’t know. Sure, he’s no longer an alcoholic gang banging teenager just barely scraping by enough to graduate and put food in his belly once in a while, but he is still an alcoholic. He still has his own issues and shortcomings. He runs a diner and only lives about five miles from the trailer park he grew up in. The gnawing annoying voice in his head comes back, reminding him of how much more Betty deserves. 

Veronica scoffs. “Look, I get that this self-loathing, sardonic, loner bad-boy crap is like your thing, and trust me it totally works for you, but Jughead Jones please don’t make me have to knock some sense into you.” 

Her words take him by surprise. “What are you talking about?” 

“I’m talking about you, sitting there, stuck in your head, full of self-doubt. Let me guess, you think Betty deserves more than you?” she asks. 

He wants to lie, to seem stronger than he is, but he knows Veronica would see right through him. 

“Yes,” he says finally. 

“Well you’re right she does. She deserves the world, but she doesn’t want the world. She wants you and Jughead, you deserve to love and be loved. I get that self-hate comes like second nature given everything in your life that’s happened, but if you really love Betty than maybe you should learn to trust her judgment. She sees something in you worth loving and my god that’s got to mean something,” she says letting her hands fall with a slam on the table. 

It's the most sincere and honest conversation he’s ever had with Veronica, or probably anyone for that matter. He doesn’t really know what to say or how to respond. 

Veronica holds up a hand. “Don’t say anything,” she says, taking a final sip from her coffee as she slides out of the booth. She stands there for a moment just looking at him before she continues. “You love Betty and she loves you. Don’t make it any more complicated than that.” 

With that she leaves, her black cloak floating effortlessly behind her and Jughead is left stunned and speechless. 

_________________

Betty wakes up with a long stretch, her arms reaching out next her as far as they can as her eyes adjust to the brightness of the morning filtering in through Jughead’s large windows. Wincing slightly, she feels sore in all the right places before she realizes the side of the bed he had occupied is now empty, the sheets below it cold. She sits up in a panic, the feeling of dread washing over her like a bucket of ice water being dumped on her head. 

Her heart starts to race toward a panic attack when she notices the blue envelope on the pillow. Opening it carefully, she pulls out a plain white piece of paper with Jughead’s writing on it. 

_ Had to be at the diner early to set up before open. _ __   
_ Hope you slept well.  _ _   
_ __ Love, Jughead.

Smiling to herself she hugs the note to her chest. It’s cheesy but the fact that he had gone out of his way to make sure she didn’t think he was doing what he did the last time makes her whole body warm. As she slides out of bed her phone on the bedside table vibrates, alerting her she’s got unread messages. There’s four and they are all from Jughead. 

**Jughead:** Good morning beautiful. I hope you found my note. 

**Jughead:** There’s food in the kitchen so feel free to make yourself breakfast. If you get bored you could swing by the diner for lunch. 

**Jughead:** Of course that is if you don’t have anything to do today. I’m sure there’s some wedding stuff you have to do. 

**Jughead:** You awake yet? 

The last one had been sent only fifteen minutes prior. She typed out a response and hit send before making her way to the bathroom. Looking in the mirror she looks like a mess. Her hair is tousled and full of knots, her eye makeup smeared, leaving dark circles under her eyes. She quickly brushes her hair up into a ponytail and washes her face before heading out into the kitchen to make herself breakfast. 

She has every intention of cooking herself something to eat and plopping down on the couch for the next few hours but when she comes into the kitchen she’s startled by the sight of Archie sitting at the island drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper. 

“What are you doing here?” she asks once she settles her nerves. 

He gives her an odd once over, clearly noticing her wearing Jughead’s clothes before putting down the paper and turning toward her. “I came to talk.” 

“Jughead isn’t here,” she says, ignoring him and moving into the kitchen. She opens the fridge and pulls out the carton of eggs. 

Archie watches her as she pulls the pan out from the bottom cabinet, setting it on the stove. 

“I know, I came to talk to you,” he replies, watching her every move. 

She pours a small amount of olive oil into the pan before turning the burner on to let it heat up. “About?” she asks, not bothering to look at him as she begins cutting up a few small potatoes. Glancing at the clock on the stove, she realizes how early it is and the fact that he probably hasn't eaten breakfast and grabs a few more potatoes to cut up. 

“Everything,” he responds quickly and she stills, but only for a moment. 

She doesn’t respond, instead focuses on finishing the potatoes, dumping them into a strainer to be rinsed off before pulling a small bowl from the cabinet. She remembers Archie likes his eggs scrambled, so she cracks two into the small bowl, beating them with a fork until the yolk and the whites are thoroughly mixed. 

Setting those to the side, she moves on to the potatoes. As she rinses them, she glances up at Archie whose eyes are downcast, focused on the cup of coffee between his hands. He looks older than she remembers, fine lines framing his eyes in mouth in the similar ways they do his father’s. Gone is the boy who used to chase her in tag or gently pull her ponytail when he sat behind her in class. He had grown into a man, forever changed by time and circumstance. 

Objectively she knows Archie is handsome, though she’s never really looked at him that way. Jughead had been the apple of her eye from the beginning, but she saw the way the girls fawned over him and when Veronica came to town she’d listen as her best friends gushed over every red hair on his head or the way she swore his smile was just a little crooked. Betty would crinkle her nose and pretend to gag, the idea of someone finding Archie hot feeling icky to her, almost like he was her brother. He definitely felt like the closest thing she’d ever have to a brother. 

With the potatoes rinsed and the oil hot and ready, she dumps them into the pan, the sizzling and crackling of the oil echoing around the apartment. She adds some seasoning before placing the lid on and turning her attention back to the eggs. She pulls another pan out of the lower cabinet and sprays it with a light sheen of cooking spray before placing it on the stove and turning the burner on. 

“What do you mean by everything?” she asks, jolting Archie from whatever reverie he had been lost in. 

He looks at her for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Do you remember when we found out my dad had cancer?” 

She’s not sure what she expected him to say but suddenly the memory of that night comes slamming to the front of her mind. 

_ Betty is sitting on her bed reading over the essay she’s written on Macbeth for her english class. It’s not her best but then again Shakespeare has never really been her favorite. Something about the way he drones on and on has always bothered her. Deciding it’s the best it’s going to get she saves her work and closes her laptop. She’s just about to head into her bathroom to wash her face when her phone rings, the caller ID telling her it’s Archie.  _

_ “Hey Arch what’s up?” she asks casually. It’s a Tuesday night, the middle of their sophomore year.  _

_ “Betty...” he manages to choke out between sobs.  _

_ She freezes, her heart beat picking up pace. It’s only been a month since his parent’s divorce was finalized. They had been the only parents Betty had ever known to separate and divorce without ever yelling or resulting to insults. It was completely amicable and even though Archie put on a good show, she knew this was breaking him. She had been waiting for him to break down and she figures this must be it.  _

_ “What’s going on? Are you okay?” she asks, turning to head toward her window. She moves the curtains and looks out across to his room where she can just barely make out his figure, slumped on the floor against his bed, the sobs she hears through the phone making his body shake. Without another thought she hangs up, throwing on her white keds, and heads down the stairs to the front door. Alice and Hal are still at the office so there’s no one there to question her and it doesn’t even take her three minutes to enter his house and climb the stairs to his bedroom.  _

_ “Hey, hey… it’s okay, it’s okay,” she says, sitting beside him and pulling him into her lap. She hasn’t held him like this or seen him cry like this since the 7th grade when his dog Vegas got hit by a car and almost died. This of course, feels worse.  _

_ She holds him, petting the side of his head and lightly shushing him for what feels like hours before he finally sits up and seems to figure out how to catch his breath.  _

_ “My dad has cancer.” The words seem to cause him pain as they leave his mouth and she winces in sympathy.  _

_ “He what?” she asks in a whisper.  _

_ “Stage two melanoma. Skin cancer,” he explains. “Apparently it’s super curable, and he’s got great chances but…” he trails off.  _

_ “Still. That’s really scary,” she finishes for him. _

_ He shakes his head. “It’s not fair. He just lost his wife and now he has to go through this alone.”  _

_ “Hey he’s not alone Archie, he has you and you have all of us. Me, Veronica, and Jughead. We aren’t going anywhere,” she says, putting a hand on the side of his face.  _

_ If this were anyone else the act would feel too intimate. He’s not wearing a shirt and she’s in nothing but her tiny pajama shorts and a tank top but it’s Archie and he’s like her brother. He looks up her, his eyes bloodshot from crying.  _

_ “I don’t understand why they couldn’t make it work.”  _

_ It’s the first time since she found out his parents were no longer together a year ago that Archie has said anything that sounds remotely genuine about it and she feels her heart break for him.  _

_ “I guess sometimes people just fall out of love. It doesn’t always need to be this tragic thing,” she replies. She’s not sure if she’s right, or if she even qualified to make that judgement. Her parents claim to be in love but scream and fight and throw dishes at each other pretty regularly. It seems backwards but maybe that’s love, she’s not really sure.  _

_ “What if he dies Betty? I know it’s selfish but, I’ll have to go live with my mom then, and I’ll be far away from you and Jug and Veronica and I just can’t live without you guys or with my-” He chokes up, unable to even utter the words and Betty pulls him into her again.  _

_ They stay like that for what feels like hours before Archie starts falling asleep and she convinces him to get into bed. She lays next to him until she hears the soft sounds of his snoring, and then makes her way back downstairs and over to her house.  _

It was the first and only time she had ever seen Archie breakdown about his dad’s cancer or his parents divorce. Fred went through a round of chemo, losing all his hair, but coming out in remission and Archie was by his side through it all. 

“Yes, of course I remember,” she says, pouring the eggs into the pan. 

“You ever wonder why it was you that I called and not Veronica or Jughead?” he asks. 

The question catches her off guard. In truth, she hadn’t. She hadn’t thought much of it at all, not even the next day when Archie was all smiles at the lunch table, his arm around Veronica, laughing at something Jughead said like nothing had happened the night before.

“No not really,” she responds, removing the lid the potatoes, moving them around with a spatula so they cook evenly. 

“You were my best friend Betty. When my dad told me, you were the first person I wanted to talk to,” he admits as she moves her attention back to the eggs. 

There’s a lump in her throat and she’s not sure how it got there. “You were my best friend too Archie.” The words come out quieter than she had meant and for a second she’s not sure if he’s heard her. 

“When you and Veronica left town I didn’t just lose my girlfriend. I lost one of my best friends. Someone I considered family.” His admission pushes her over the edge and the tears that started forming with the lump spill over. “Geez don’t cry Betty, please.” 

“It’s fine, I’m fine,” she lies, looking up at him. “Why didn’t you tell me about Midge?” 

“Because you would have told Veronica,” he says with a shrug. “Ya know, back then we were dealing with so much. So much more than teenagers should be dealing with. I loved Veronica, I mean from the moment I laid eyes on her I loved her, and I was happy that you and her got so close, that you finally had a girl to be best friends with.” 

It was true, Veronica’s arrival in town had finally filled the vacancy Betty held in her heart for a female friend. Jughead and Archie were of course her best friends, but she had longed for a girl to talk to. When she got her period in the 7th grade or the first time her mom took her bra shopping, these were things that she wanted to talk to a girl about. She had tried with Cheryl, but until Toni came along toward the end of high school Cheryl was nothing but a mean girl. Polly was her sister and though they shared secrets, it still wasn’t the same. 

“But?” she questions, sensing there was one coming. 

“But the closer you and her got, the further apart we got. There were things I couldn’t talk to you about because I knew you would tell her, Midge being one of them,” he responds. 

“I mean I would have told her but that would have been better than her finding out the way she did,” she argues, pulling two plates from the cabinet. 

“Trust me I know, but it’s not exactly like I was thinking that logically then,” he replies. 

She nods her head in agreement as she plates the eggs. Though she doesn’t agree, she can understand Archie’s logic at the time. She turns the burners off and starts plating the potatoes as well. 

“Why did you hook up with Midge, Archie?” She has wanted to ask him this since the night they found out. 

Veronica and Archie had been meant for each other since the very beginning. After a round of truth or dare and seven minutes in heaven in Cheryl’s closet they were hot and heavy and gone for each other. She had never seen Archie look at another girl that way before and never again after, so finding out about him and Midge had been nothing more than a shock to her system. 

Archie sighs, running his hands down his face as Betty places a plate of food in front if him. He smiles at her in thanks. “As much as it pains me to say, I liked the attention.” 

Betty moves a stool around to the other side so she can sit across from him while she eats. “The attention?” 

He nods, taking a bite of his eggs. “Yea. I know it’s so pathetic and I’m not making excuses, there are no excuses,” he says, his eyes meeting Betty’s to make his point clear, “but Veronica was working at Pop’s like all the time and when she wasn’t working there she was picking up shifts at the Bijou to help her mom pay bills. Jughead was either drunk or busy with the Serpents and you, well me and you had drifted so far apart by then. I didn’t even know Polly left until like three months later, when Jughead told me. I just felt left out and forgotten. Then one night at Cheryl’s Midge came up to me and started flirting with me it just felt good.” 

His head is hung in shame by the time he finishes and as much as Betty wants to be angry with him she can’t seem to find it in her to be. Instead she’s feels sad, almost sorry for him. Through everything that had been happening then not once had she ever thought about how it was affecting her friendship with Archie. The night she left his garage to look for Veronica had been the last time they talked and even though it hurt, she ignored it, convincing herself that her loyalty to Veronica was more important. 

“I’m sorry Archie,” she says finally.

He lifts his head slowly, his eyes meeting hers, “You don’t have anything to be sorry about Betty. It was a shitty time and I was being selfish. I’m sorry for not being there for you more.” 

They looked at each other in silence for a long moment before Betty smiled and nodded. It felt good to have this talk, one she didn’t even know she needed. They finished their breakfast in silence and when they were done Archie cleaned up. 

“So now that we’ve got that out of the way can I ask you something?” he asks, plopping down next to her on the couch. 

“Go for it,” she replies, flipping through the options on Netflix. 

“What’s going on between you and Jughead?,” he asks. 

It’s exactly what she expected him to ask. “Didn’t you and him talk yesterday?” 

“Yes but we never really got around to talking about you,” he says giving her a look. 

She thinks for a moment on what she should say. In truth she’s not really sure what's going on. Sure they’ve had sex and said I love you, but aside from that nothing is really changed. She knows they need to talk, to figure out where to go from here, but it’s all happened so fast they haven’t had the time. 

“I don’t really know Arch,” she says because it’s the truth and because she’s not sure what else to say. 

“Well can I just say one thing?” he seems hesitant so she nods in response and he continues. “I don’t know how much Jughead’s told you but I assume you know he’s sober now.” She nods again. “It took a lot for him to get to where he is. It didn’t happen overnight. Whatever is going on between you two, it might also not happen overnight. Just give him time. You two are soulmates, meant to be, that’s a given, but that doesn’t mean it won’t take work.” 

She stunned by how wise and genuine he sounds. Archie had always had a way with words when it came to song writing but he was never the guy you’d go to for advice. 

“Archie Andrew’s when the hell did you get so wise?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“It’s been five years Betty,” he says and she knows he means it to be a joke but it hurts just the same. 

“I’m really sorry Archie,” she says again. He simply shakes his head and holds up a hand. 

“Water under the bridge. Just, like I said, give Jughead some time and while you’re at it, cut Veronica a break too.” 

Betty rolls her eyes. She half expects him to continue on, launching into all the reasons her and Veronica should make up but instead he gets up and heads for the door. 

“Where you going?” she asks. 

“I got a doctor's appointment. I’ll catch you around Cooper,” he says. 

“Bye Archie,” she says waving as he leaves, closing the door behind him.

She turns her attention back to the TV where she had been aimlessly scrolling through TV shows and movies. Archies words play on a loop in her head keeping her from being able to focus. He made a lot of good points and she didn’t want to pressure Jughead, but they had been apart for five years, she didn’t know if she’d be able to go slow. 

Feeling frustrated she knew she wouldn’t be able to focus on the TV or relaxing anymore. She needed to see Jughead, to talk to him, to figure out where they were and what they were doing. She picked up her phone and called for an Uber, leaving her just enough time to change, before it would be here to take her to Pop’s. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you may have noticed there is no bughead interaction in this chapter. I would say sorry, but I'm not. These conversation HAD to happen and I hope you guys still enjoyed it!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise! Another update so soon!? What's gotten into me! 
> 
> Haha I figured, since the last chapter didn't have any real bughead interaction, you guys kinda deserve this chapter. It's one of my favorites! 
> 
> Also the tags have changed so go have a look!! 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter! Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

The lunch hour rush hits hard and early and Jughead is nearly jogging from table to table, little beads of sweat forming on his forehead while his conversation with Veronica earlier this morning plays on a loop in his head. It’s distracting and more than once he’s brought the wrong food to the wrong table. 

“This isn’t what I ordered,” and older gentleman with white hair says the minute the plate hits the table. 

“Ah, shit, sorry. You were the pancakes and bacon right?” Jughead asks. 

The man nods his head and Jughead quickly disappears into the kitchen to grab the right plate. He can hear the bell above the door chime and he had to take a full minute before he goes back to the front, the annoyance and anxiety bubbling in his gut. He knows he needs to hire someone part time to help him out, but with everything happening in his life right now, it’s been the last thing on his mind. 

He comes through the swinging double doors ready to tell whatever customer that just walked in that the wait would be at least thirty minutes only to see Betty coming behind the counter, taking care of the customers waiting and sitting. She’s wearing the shortest pair of denim shorts he’s ever seen with a tight white shirt and he nearly drops the plate at the sight of her. 

“Why didn’t you call me to come help?” she asks, grabbing the hot coffee pot and refiling the empty mugs that have been waiting. 

“Um, I..” he stutters trying to find a reason. 

She holds up a hand before taking the plate from him. “Where does this go?” she asks. 

He points to the white haired gentleman and without a word she’s gone. He goes back into the kitchen to fill the orders adding up on the til utterly stunned by her in every way. 

It’s another two hours before the rush dies down long enough for either of them to take a break. He had stripped down to just his undershirt nearly a half hour ago, the sweat from the heat of the grill nearly soaking all the way through. He makes his way to the front of the diner where Betty is standing at the counter, fanning herself with a menu. Her head is tilted back, eyes closed taking in whatever relief the breeze is giving her. The small hairs that have escaped her ponytail blow freely. Her white t-shirt, which was already pretty for fitting, now clings to her in all the best ways and he has to swallow roughly at the sight of her. 

He glances around the diner quickly, taking notice that there’s not a single customer left before he makes his way to the door to lock it. When he turns around she’s watching him, her eyes traveling over his torso and the way his own shirt is clinging to him. Just like the night before there’s a spark in the air, a tension begging to be snapped. 

He knows it’s wrong. After the talk he and Veronica had this morning, he knows he and Betty need to talk, need to figure everything out but as his feet carry him to where she’s standing, her eyes locked with his, he can’t force his brain to focus on anything but the swell of her bottom lip as she pulls it in between her teeth. 

“Thank you,” he says, coming to stand in front of her as she leans back on the counter. 

“For?” she asks, her voice a bit more breathy then he had expected. 

The sound causes a twitching in his pants that he tries desperately to ignore. She must feel whatever it is happening between them because for just a second her eyes flicker down to his mouth. It’s all the invitation he needs before he’s crashing his lips into hers. 

She opens for him right away, her tongue seeking his out like it’s done so many times before. He grips her hips firmly, lifting her up to sit on the counter and he places himself between her legs. It’s all hands and mouth and teeth and sweat and he knows anyone could see them if they looked in the window but he doesn’t care. She tastes like vanilla and salt and it’s like a drug he can’t get enough of. 

Her hands find their way to the hair at the back of his head, tugging and pulling him closer while his rest in a bruising grip on her hips. Her t-shirt has ridden up slightly and his hand feels like it’s on fire where it touches the exposed skin. 

When they break for a breath Betty takes the opportunity to attack his neck, leaving hot kisses along his jaw and sucking hard when she reaches his pulse point. It sends a direct message to his crotch and suddenly his jeans feel impossibly tight. 

“Fuck, Betty,” he manages to choke out. He knows they should stop, they should put as much distance between them as possible because with her mouth on his skin he can’t think straight. All he wants to do is take her right here on this counter though he doesn’t think Pop would appreciate that very much. 

Before he loses all self control he pushes back from her, his back nearly slamming into the small fridge behind him. Betty sits in front of him, legs spread, bee stung lips, looking confused and sexy as hell. 

“What, what’s wrong?” she asks, bringing her fingers up to her mouth. She looks so small and so innocent he suddenly feels like an asshole. 

“Nothing. Nothing’s wrong Betts,” he says running a hand through his hair. He’d ditched the beanie hours ago so now his overgrown hair falls wild in front of his eyes. 

“Juggie,” she says softly, that one word filled with so much want and need. 

As if his hand has a mind of it’s own it reaches out, smoothing itself from her knee up the side of her thigh. He watches it, as if amazed by the way it moves without him telling it to do anything. When he finally looks up at her there’s something in her eyes that reminds him so much of the day he told her she should leave, maybe it’s fear, or something else, but he realizes in that moment he’d do anything to never see that look on her face again. 

Without much thought he brings their mouths together again, a fire igniting between them so hot he’s sure it’ll cause the whole diner to go up in flames. He cradles her face between his hands, angling her head so he can deepen the kiss. 

Betty’s hands are everywhere on him before landing on his belt buckle, making quick work of undoing it before moving on to his button and his zipper. When she’s got those undone she doesn’t even pause before her hand finds him, hard and waiting, and she begins stroking him. 

“Fuck,” he breathes out. 

He knows it’s wrong but he’s so turned on he doesn’t care. “Come here,” he says lifting her off the counter, “turn around.” 

She does as he says and with her ass pressed to his crotch his mouth finds her neck as the same time his hands begin unbuttoning her shorts. She moans and pushes back against him and he has to grab her hips to still her. He quickly pulls her shorts down her legs followed by her underwear. 

“Lean down, put your hands on the counter,” he says roughly, and she does exactly that. 

He takes only a quick moment to admire her in this position before he’s burying himself in her. 

“Oh god,” she cries out, her back arching and her knuckles gripping the edge of the counter until they turn white. 

He stills, not wanting to hurt her. She’s impossibly tight from this angle and he wants to make sure it’s okay.

“Betts?” he manages to choke out in question. 

“Fuck Jughead. Move, please,” she begs and he does just that. Pushing in and pulling out slowly letting her adjust. 

It doesn’t take long for them to find a rhythm, their bodies seemingly made for each other. Betty pushes back, meeting his thrusts and it feels so overwhelmingly good he has to concentrate hard to not lose it. 

He leans forward a bit, his hand coming around to cup one of her breasts and she responds by arching into him more. They are still mostly clothed, which given their location is probably a good thing, but he wishes he could feel her skin under his hands. 

As their pace quickens and he can feel himself getting closer he suddenly realizes he’s not wearing a condom. 

“Fuck Betty, I’m not wearing-” 

“IUD. It’s fine,” she says cutting him off, shaking her head. 

He bites his lip as he reaches around to her center, wanting to bring her along with him. He makes quick circles over her clit and he can feel her begin to tighten on him. 

“Oh god, oh fuck,” she moans loudly. 

He’s so close he has to close his eyes and count to ten to keep from coming before her. 

Suddenly the sound of the back door slamming closed causes them both to still. Jughead whips his head to the side just in time to see Sweet Pea coming out from the kitchen. 

“Yo Jughead you- oh shit! Oh god I’m so sorry bro!” Sweet Pea says stumbling backwards on his crutches. 

“Oh my god!” Betty screams as he turns them away from Sweet Pea’s line of sight, slipping out of her. 

“Shit!” he says struggling to pull his pants up as Betty does the same. 

It all happens so fast, within a matter of seconds, and he’s mortified. Betty cheeks are bright red and she’s struggling to make eye contact with him and he wants to choke the life out of Sweet Pea. 

“Pea please go wait in the kitchen,” he says with his back still turned toward him. 

“No problem,” Sweet Pea says. 

Betty stands in front of him leaning against the counter with her hand covering her mouth in embarrassment. He runs his hands through his hair and then down his face before reaching out and pulling her into his chest. 

“I can not believe that just happened,” she says into his chest. 

“I can’t either. I’m so sorry,” he responds smoothing a hand over her back. 

Suddenly Betty starts giggling softly, a sound that makes his whole body relax. It quickly turns into full blown laughter and he can’t help but join in. They laugh like that for a good minute before they pull away from each other, Betty wiping the tears from laughing from her eyes. She looks so beautiful in that moment it makes his heart float. 

The light pink tinge to her cheeks and the way her eyes shine with mischief reminds him of the night the four of them got caught by Fred Andrew’s skinny dipping in Sweetwater River. 

_ The night air is warm and sticky, as Jughead watches the lightening bugs float above the river and disappear into the grass. It’s the first Friday night of the summer after their Freshman year and somehow he’s been convinced to go skinny dipping by Archie, Betty, and Veronica. In truth, he knows he wouldn’t be here if it didn’t mean he might accidentally get to see Betty naked, a thought that both excites him and makes him want to slam his head into a wall because he is not an asshole, or at least he tries not to be.  _

_ He is still just a teenage boy though and if the tiny bikini she had worn to Veronica’s rooftop pool party had nearly killed him, he was sure even a glimpse of her tonight would be the end. Not a bad way to go if he really thought about it.  _

_ “Come on guys!” Veronica yells over shoulder, shedding layers of clothing as she ran toward the water.  _

_ “God she’s hot,” Archie says beside him, his eyes focused off in the distance where Veronica was now stark naked and running into the water, before taking off in the same direction, his clothes landing in piles next to hers.  _

_ Jughead looked down at his feet as his dirty converses shuffle around. This had sounded like such a good idea when Veronica brought it up an hour ago but now as he stands here next to Betty he’s not so sure.  _

_ “God they have no insecurities do they,” she says next to him.  _

_ She to seems apprehensive, though he’s not sure why. Since the pool party he’s been unable to get the image of her perfect body out of his mind. She soft curve of her hips, her legs that seems to go on for days and what they might look like wrapped around his waist. That’s an image he feels especially ashamed of.  _

_ He eyes her for a moment, her bottom lip caught between her teeth and her hands fiddling with each other in front of her like she does when she’s nervous when he gets an idea.  _

_ “Here,” he says, shedding the t-shirt he had been wearing. “Just wear this. You’ll still be covered,” he explains holding it out to her.  _

_ Her eyes seem focused on his chest and he tries hard not to notice that she might very well be checking him out, something he thinks he’s been seeing her do a lot of lately. She takes exactly one minute to consider this before reaching for the hem of her own shirt and pulling it over her head. He swallows hard at the sight of her standing in front of him in nothing but her shorts and a thin lace white bra.  _

_ “I’ll race you.” Is all she says before she’s taking off, the white bra flying off toward the piles of clothing Veronica and Archie left behind.  _

_ “Jesus christ she’s going to be the death of me,” he says under his breath before he’s running after her, the t-shirt forgotten on the ground.  _

_ The four of them splash and swim and play in the water for nearly two hours before the bright headlights of Fred Andrew’s truck pull up, illuminating the section of the beach where all their clothes are scattered about. He whistles loudly, throwing his hand up and indicating it’s time for them to get out, before turning around to give them some kind of privacy.  _

_ As they all make their way back up the sand, he struggles not to look over at Betty, who is doing her best to cover herself as she looks for her clothing. He finds his shorts first, pulling them on quickly before he turns to help her look for her clothes. Instead he finds his t-shirt, the one he had offered her before, and brings it over to her, keeping his eyes focused on the stars above them. _

_ “Thank you Juggie,” she says, taking it from his hand. “You can look now,” she says a moment later.  _

_ When his eyes meet hers he’s taken aback by the way the moonlight shines in the little gold flecks. Her cheeks are flushed, either from embarrassment or from playing around in the water, and her hair is stuck to her face and shoulders and in that moment he’s not sure she’s ever looked so beautiful.  _

_ Fred drives them all back to his house, allowing the girls to fully dry off before going home, knowing Alice Cooper wouldn’t be too happy to learn that her daughter had been skinny dipping with boys. When Betty leaves, she’s still wearing his shirt and the image of that stays burned into his brain for a long time after.  _

Betty smiles, sucking on her teeth before shaking her head. “It’s not your fault but,” she pauses biting on her bottom lip before looking up at him, “let’s just say we’re not finished here.”

Jughead clenches his jaw in response, “No, no we aren’t.” 

“I’m going to um, I’m going to leave now,” she says through a laugh pointing toward the door.

Jughead steps aside slightly to let her walk past but as she does he can’t help but reach out for her, and pulls her into to a kiss. It’s different then before, less rushed and more soft. He pours as much of himself as he can into that kiss before he pulls back, leaving a small peck on the tip of her nose.

“I’ll see you tonight?” he asks. 

“Yes, of course,” she responds, looking up at him with those big green eyes. 

She slips out of his arms finally making her way to the door before he calls out for her again, “Hey Betts?” 

“What Juggie?” she asks, half turned around, her hand on the door ready to push it open. 

“You should talk to Veronica. She came in earlier and, yea you should just talk to her,” he says running a hand through his hair. 

Betty tilts her head a bit like she’s thinking on it. “I think I will,” she says before disappearing into the afternoon sun. 

Jughead sighs, staring at the door like a lost puppy for a moment before he remembers the intruder who is still waiting for him in the kitchen. With a roll of his eyes he turns and makes his way in the back to find Sweet Pea perches on the metal table in the middle of the room, scrolling through his phone. His foot is in a giant black cast and the crutches he came in on are leaned up against the table next to him. 

“I hate you,” he says sardonically staring Sweet Pea down. 

Sweet Pea simply looks up at him with a sly smile on his face before breaking into a belly laugh, one that Jughead can’t help but return. 

________________________

Betty lets the warm afternoon sun soak into her skin as she walks in the direction of her old house, which is right next door to Archie’s, where she’s almost sure she will find Veronica. Her cheeks still feel hot from being caught in such a compromising position with Jughead but the rest of her body feels on edge and restless. 

She hadn’t come there for that, though of course she’s not mad that it happened. Even just imagining Jughead’s hand on her body, his own buried inside her in such a position is making her feel all hot and bothered all over again. Maybe it’s like a flood gate being opened, now that they’ve done it once they won’t be able to stop. She’s not sure if that’s a good or bad thing, though she’s even more unsure if she even cares. 

This entire trip home had been on surprise after another. From finding out about Archie and Veronica, to Polly telling her about their mother living with her, to Jughead and everything that was unfolding between them, none of it is was what she planned for. Usually this would cause Betty an unreal amount of anxiety. She liked plans and knowing what was going to happen, or at least having some idea of it, and usually when things didn’t go according to those plans she spiraled. 

As she walks she decides to check in with herself, see if there are any signs of an impending meltdown. She checks her hands, finding them clean, save for the old white scars, which is a good sign. She holds her hands out in front of her, watching for the tell-tale sign of shaking, which there is none. Stretching her neck it doesn’t feel tight or tense and she doesn’t have a headache, something she always has when there’s a lot going on or she feels overly stressed. 

All in all she feels relatively fine, if not a little energized by brief tryst her and Jughead had at Pop’s. She feels her cheeks warm at the thought. Never in her life did she think she’d be kind of girl into public sex but with him standing there, his undershirt soaked through and sticking to him, beanieless, looking hot as sin- she couldn’t help herself. 

She rounded the corner to her old street letting the wave of nostalgia hit her hard. Her mother and father had finally decided to divorce right before she left for college and year later Polly had told her the house had been sold. She hadn’t cared much then, and she still doesn’t, though looking back she figures maybe it would have been nice to come home and gather the things she had left behind. 

Approaching her old walk way she can see a pink tricycle left at the end with purple ribbons tied to the handle bars. Her eyes follow the line straight up to the red front door. The house looks exactly the same, save for the color of the flowers in the garden on each side of the porch. It’s like stepping back in time, suddenly she’s 16 again wishing against nothing that she didn’t have to go inside, only now she’s 23 and there’s no yelling to be heard outside. The family living here is probably nothing like the dysfunctional bunch her was all those years ago. 

“Well well if it isn’t Betty Cooper!” 

The voice of Fred Andrews pulls her from her thoughts and carries her feet over to his porch. 

“Hey Mr. Andrews,” she says, making her way up his steps. 

He pulls her into a warm hug and she smiles remembering how comforting he had always been. He looks good, his once dark brown hair now more of a salt and pepper color, which suits him well. She wonders if Archie will look as handsome when his red locks starts going grey. 

“So what brings you around here?” he asks, leaning against the post. 

“I was actually looking for Veronica. I figured I’d find her here,” she replies. 

“Ah you would have been right. She and Archie left early this morning, her to do something and Archie to do something else. He said she had a doctors appointment around this time, so I figure that’s where they are at. I know they are having dinner with Hermione at the Pembrook tonight though,” he explains. 

Betty nods, thinking he must have his information wrong, it was Archie who said he had a doctors appointment, but accepting the information. 

“Well I guess I’ll just uber myself over to the Pembrooke then,” she says pulling out her phone. 

“Put your phone away. I’ll give you a ride,” he says leading her off the porch to the old truck she remembers so well. 

It’s an off white and brown 1985 Ford F250. This is the truck Fred had taught not only Archie, but her and Jughead as well, how to drive in. 

_ “Archie that’s the gas pedal!” Fred yells his hands coming up to run through the hair that is no longer there. He’s been getting chemo for about three months and it caused every hair on his head to fall out.  _

_ Betty is seated in the back seat of Fred’s truck next to Jughead, a death grip on her seat belt as Fred attempts to teach Archie how to drive. It’s the end of their Sophomore year and all three of them have had their permit for quite some time but Jughead’s dad is too drunk to teach him and Betty’s parents are to busy fighting. Fred, tired of driving them around everywhere, finally decided now would be the time. The only problem being that his truck is a manual transmission.  _

_ “You want the clutch. You have to push the clutch all the way down to change gears,” Fred says a bit more patiently now.  _

_ “How do I even know what gear I’m in?” Archie asks, throwing his hands up.  _

_ They’ve been at this for nearly an hour and so far Archie has managed to crawl them to the end of their street luckily without blowing the transmission or burning out the clutch.  _

_ “Why don’t we give Betty or Jughead a chance now?” Fred says, laying a hand on Archie’s shoulder.  _

_ “Fine by me,” Archie replies.  _

_ After Fred helps him get the truck in neutral, with ebrack pulled, Archie climbs out.  _

_ “You want to go?” Betty asks Jughead whose face is white as a ghost as he vigorously shakes his head no.  _

_ She hops out, switching places with Archie. She has to move the seat up a few notches, since Archie had a growth spurt over the last year and is nearly three inches taller than her now. She checks her mirrors, making sure she can see everything she needs to see before placing her hands on the wheel and waiting for Fred’s instructions.  _

_ “Okay, the pedal all the way to the left is the clutch, you use your left foot for it. You know the break and gas. There’s four gears, reverse, and neutral which is for parking and stopping. All you have to do is push the clutch all the way, put the ebreak down, move the truck into first, lift up on the clutch until you feel it vibrate a bit, and then slowly press down on the gas,” Fred explained.  _

_ Betty did just that, going over the instructions in her head as she went and before she knew it they were easing down the street at a steady pace. Once they reached the optimum rpm’s he explained how to move into second gear, which she did with ease. They continued on like that, driving all around the neighborhoods of Riverdale until Betty no longer needed Fred to tell her when to switch gears, she could just feel it naturally.  _

_ The hand foot motion seemed to come naturally to her, something that at the time made Archie angry. She didn’t care though, one of them knowing how to drive meant freedom for all of them, Veronica included who didn’t bother to learn to drive until Senior year, when she absolutely had to.  _

_ Fred beamed with pride as they pulled back into the driveway. The look on his face one Betty had longed to see on one of her parents for as long as she can remember.  _

“Thank you Mr. Andrews,” she says climbing into the passenger seat. 

“It’s no problem at all,” he replies. 

They drive in a comfortable silence to the Pembrooke. Betty stares out the window at the trees and houses blurring past her, thinking on her life and how different yet all the same everything seems now.

“I’m happy for them,” Fred says out of nowhere, his voice breaking through the silence of the ride. 

Betty turns to look at him, not sure how to respond. 

“I know you’re upset with them, well with Veronica at least, for keeping it from you but if it helps they didn’t tell anyone, no even me or Jug,” he explains. 

She’s not sure if it does help, but it is something. Since finding out it’s felt like a secret she wasn’t let in on, knowing no one knew changes that a bit. 

Before she can respond Fred pulls up to the front of the Pembrooke. 

“Just, try to give them a break is all I’m trying to say. You kids,” he pauses turning to look out the window for a moment, “you kids never had it the easiest but you had each other and that means something.” 

Betty feels a lump in her throat form and she swallows hard while forcing a smile on her face. 

“Thank you Fred,” she says finally, exiting the truck.

She watches it pull away as a small tear escapes her eye. He’s not wrong. The four of them, the core four as Veronica at coined it, had been as close as you could get for the entirety of highschool. While her, Jughead, and Archie had already formed a bond in early childhood, adding Veronica had only cemented it further. She fit like the missing puzzle piece they didn’t know they needed. 

Through divorces, drunk dads, cancer, pregnant sisters, moms who had to work day and night just to make ends meat, and everything else life through their way they always had each other. They would come together during the hardest of times, not to fix things, but to just be there. Whether that meant sitting in silence in a booth at Pop’s like they did after Fred’s first round of chemo, or skipping school to take a train down to New York to hide away in the city like they did the middle of Senior year just because, they were always together. 

Betty thinks about the last five years of her life and how incomplete she’s felt. She’s always thought it was because she missed Jughead but after talking to Archie this morning and then hearing what Fred had to say she’s realizing that maybe it was more than that. Soulmates don’t always have to be of the romantic kind. Maybe the four of them were soulmates. 

Taking a deep breath she heads inside. She rides the elevator to the top floor, a move Veronica’s mom had made two years ago when she finally opened her own law firm. Hermione Lodge will always be a woman Betty admires. Throughout their high school career she worked two jobs, weekends and night shift at Pop’s and days as a secretary to the mayor, all of course while taking online classes to finish up her law degree. She was determined to prove to Veronica’s dad, who was still firmly behind bars, that she was a strong independent woman. 

Of course this left little time to parent Veronica, something Betty knows Veronica can’t help but resent her mom for. Still, she also knows Veronica respects her drive and independence. It’s what helped drive her toward taking the leap to drop out half way through college and open her boutique. 

The door to the apartment is unlocked, so she enters without knocking. It’s quiet inside and it seems like no one is home.

“Hermione? Veronica? Anyone home?” Betty calls out, placing her purse and keys on the island counter. 

“In here,” she hears Veronica’s voice call out from her bedroom. 

Betty makes her way down the hall to her bedroom. When she pushes the door open she finds Veronica curled up in a ball, her head lying on Archie’s chest. The sight of them pulls on the strongest of Betty’s heart strings and she suddenly feels guilty and also like she’s interrupting an intimate moment. 

“Hey,” she says quietly standing in the doorway. 

Archie smiles, kisses the top of Veronica’s head, and then starts to get up. 

“Don’t leave on my account,” she says holding up a hand but he’s already up and walking toward her. 

“No it’s fine. I gotta go bother Jughead. You two should talk anyway,” he says moving past her and down the hall. 

Veronica is now sitting on her bed, head down, playing with a loose string on her white comforter. Betty walks over hesitantly, sitting down on the opposite side. The tension between them feels like an uncomfortable static and she hates it. It’s never been like this between them. They’ve had fights before, but nothing like this, and suddenly Betty wants nothing more than to pull Veronica into her arms and apologize. 

“I’m sorry,” they both suddenly say at the same time and just like that the tension snaps. 

Betty reaches across and pulls Veronica into the tightest hug she can manage in this position and Veronica does the same. 

“Veronica I’m so sorry for the things I said and how I acted,” she says when they pull apart. 

“No Betty, I’m sorry for not telling you,” Veronica replies. 

They stay quiet for a moment, Betty going over everything in her head. Her mind keeps coming back to the same question and she knows she needs the answer. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” she asks, her voice soft. 

Veronica sighs and shift so that she’s sitting cross legged across from Betty. She looks up at her, her eyes brimming with tears and Betty reaches out and takes her hand. 

“How could I Betty? For the last five years I’ve watched you silently mourn something you never got the chance to have,” she says her eyes searching Betty’s. 

Betty can feel the lump in her throat growing again but she swallows it down, giving Veronica the chance to continue. 

“You never told me about you and Jughead, and that’s fine I get it really I do, but I still knew  _ something _ had happened. I know you were trying to be the strong one but I would hear you crying or waking from nightmares calling out his name. When Archie and I found our way back to each other, and he told me what had happened, I felt unbelievably guilty,” she pauses to swallow, the tears now falling from her eyes. “How could I tell you that Archie and I found a way to make it work when your heart was still breaking over Jughead?” 

Betty own eyes are spilling tears just as fast as she tries to wipe them away. “Veronica,” she says but Veronica holds up a hand to stop her. 

“No let me finish. This past year has been the best and the worst. On one hand I got my soulmate back, the love of my life. On the other hand, I was lying to my other soulmate,” she hiccups, the sobs in her chest trying to escape. 

Betty reaches for her other hand, squeezing tightly to let Veronica know it’s okay. 

“I’m sorry I never told you about Jughead. I was just so embarrassed and hurt I just wanted to forget about it,” Betty explains through tears. 

“I know. I wasn’t really mad you for not telling me, I just said those things because,” she trails off but Betty knows what she means so she nods along, sniffling. 

They sit there, hands held in each other’s, foreheads pressed together crying for what feels like forever before Betty pulls away, one final question she needs answered. 

“How did you guys even start talking again?” she asks, a laugh making its way from her gut. 

Veronica laughs in response, wiping the tears from her face as best she can. 

“Funny story actually. We ran into each other, quite literally, at that Starbucks by my boutique. He was there for some meeting with a music producer or something and I turned around to leave and ran right into him. I spilled my coffee all over the both of us,” she laughs, “He ended up missing his meeting.” 

Betty laughs, a wide smile taking over her face. Even through the tears she can see the way Veronica’s eyes shine like they haven’t in so long. It’s a beautiful sight to see and she never wants it to leave her face again. 

“So guys just got back together?” she asks. 

“Well not right away. He convinced me to give him my number and we just started talking. He apologized over and over again about Midge and I don’t know. After all these years my heart still wanted him and as angry as I was, I just kind felt like I owed it to myself to at least try. So I did,” she explains. 

“And it worked,” Betty finishes, receiving a small nod and shy smile from Veronica. “I’m happy for you V. Really I am. Archie came to see me this morning,” she says, finding her hands playing with the same loose string on Veronica’s comforter. 

“I know he told me. He missed you, a lot,” Veronica says. 

“I think I missed him. I missed us, the four of us,” she says. 

“The core four,” Veronica says. “Did Jughead tell you I stopped by the diner this morning?”

Betty looks up at her, her brows furrowed. “No he didn't. We didn’t really get much time to talk though.” 

“Okay ew,” Veronica says teasingly. 

“I didn’t mean like that,” Betty says, feeling her cheeks burn knowing it actually was somewhat true. 

“But you guys are, aren’t you?” Veronica asks hesitantly. 

Betty doesn’t answer, just bites her lip and nods slightly before letting her head fall into her hands, suddenly feeling extremely shy. 

“Well I want to hear all the dirty details about that, but first, there’s one more thing I need to tell you,” Veronica says and her tone is suddenly serious, so much so that Betty sits up almost instantly. 

She searches Veronica’s face for any sign that something is wrong but can’t make out her expression. “What is it V?” 

Veronica takes a deep breath, smoothing her hand over her skirt before bringing them to rest on her lower belly, a movement Betty’s eyes become fixated on. 

“I’m pregnant.” 

 


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Though I feel I've warned enough and tagged enough, I just want to make it clear: this is the angstiest chapter yet. I'm damn near all angst so prepare yourself. It's also incredibly important, so I hope you can appreciate that. Only two more chapters after this! 
> 
> Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

“Veronica is pregnant!?” 

Jughead is seated across from Archie in a booth at Pop’s. Since Betty left there’s only been a handful of customers, which he’s thankful for. Sweet Pea showing up had been simply to tell Jughead he’d be out for at least another month, his foot requiring surgery, which he would be getting next week. 

When Archie showed up, his face wearing a bigger smile than Jughead has seen in years, he knew there had to be a reason behind it, he just hadn’t expected that. 

“Yeah man! She’s about 12 weeks along. We've known for a few weeks, I mean, she missed her period and got a positive test and all, but I didn’t want her to go to the first doctors appointment without me,” Archie says wearing pride on his face and chest like it’s a badge of honor. 

“That’s fucking- congratulations man!” Jughead says, reaching across the table to pull Archie into an awkward hug. 

“Thanks man. You’re the first person I’ve told. I actually think Veronica is telling Betty right now,” he says sitting back down. 

“So is this why you’re thinking about moving back home?” Jughead asks, remembering their conversation from the day of his show. 

“Yeah actually. Being out in LA, trying to make the music thing work, it’s just, well it’s not working. I miss my dad, I miss you. I’ve been there for two years now and nothing is happening. I don’t want to waste any more time. I can still write and record and even play some small gigs if I want from right here,” he explains. 

“Why don’t you just move to Manhattan?” Jughead asks, taking a sip of his water.

They had both already polished off two burgers each by the time Archie had managed to blurt out that Veronica was pregnant, something Jughead is thankful for. He’s not sure he could have handled that news on an empty stomach. 

Archies takes in a deep breath, rubbing his hand over the back of his neck. “About that. Listen I don’t know if Veronica plans to bring this up to Betty or not, so just like, maybe not mention it to her, but Veronica wants to move back to Riverdale. The store she runs up in Manhattan is basically self sufficient now and she wants to be closer to her mom when the baby is born. We’ve been looking at houses near my dad and everything,” he explains.

Jughead furrows his brow. With Veronica pregnant and moving back home that would leave Betty alone in Manhattan. It’s a lot of change all at once. 

“Man that’s a lot,” Jughead says. 

“Yeah I know,” Archie replies. 

“Betty’s never been good with change,” he says his hands fiddling with the paper from his straw. 

“Hey- maybe this will be a good thing. Maybe now that everything is like, better, Betty can move back to Riverdale and you and her can have a real chance,” Archie says, his eyes beaming with the idea. 

It’s a nice thought, one Jughead probably shouldn’t let himself think about too long, but he knows it’s not something that’s possible. 

He shakes his head, “Arch, Betty didn’t leave Riverdale because of me or what went on between you and Veronica. She left so she could get away from Alice and all the awful shit that happens in this town. I doubt she’d want to move back.” 

“You don’t know if you don’t ask,” Archie says, leaning forward. 

Jughead scoffs, getting up from the table to take their dishes to the kitchen. Archie has always been a bit naive and slow to catch on, but his total ignorance on the subject annoys Jughead. Of course it would seem that easy to Archie, he’s never had to work for anything that he wants. 

“What?” Archie asks, following him into the kitchen. 

Jughead drops the plates into the sink with a little less care than he should, the loud clang echoing around them. 

“I could never ask her that Archie,” he says finally, shaking his head. 

“Why not? This is your chance Jughead. The chance for you and Betty to finally be together like you were meant to be,” Archie says with force as his hand falls hard on the metal table in the middle of the room. 

“Meant to be? God Archie do you even hear yourself? It’s not that simple.” Jughead can feel his blood pressure rising, his annoyance and anger growing with his friend by the minute. 

“So what’s the plan here then Jug? You just going to let her walk out of your life again without telling her how you feel?” Archie says with an accusatory tone. 

“She knows how I feel!” Jughead yells back. 

“Does she know what you want? Do you even know what you want?” Archie’s voice is raised, his face getting redder as his own frustrations grow. 

“This isn’t about me Archie! Betty deserves-” 

“Oh my god Jug stop with the Betty ‘deserves more’ bullshit,” Archie says cutting him off. 

“It’s the truth,” he replies, turning and heading back toward the front. Now would be a great time for some customers to talk walk in so he would have an excuse to get away from Archie. 

Archie follows close behind, not giving him any space. 

“No the truth is your scared. Of what? Who knows, but whatever it is you need to get over it. You’re allowed to want things to Jug. You’re allowed to deserve more!” he says, his hand gesturing toward Jughead. 

“Did you and Veronica practice that?” Jughead asks, rolling his eyes. 

“Don’t be an asshole. You need to get your head out of your ass before you ruin the best thing that’s happened to you in like forever.” 

“Well that’s me, FP Jones, fucking up everything I touch,” Jughead says throwing his hands in the air. 

Archie takes a deep breath, his jaw and fist clenching at the same time. “I could punch you right in the face right now.” 

“Then do it,” Jughead says, eyes focused hard on Archies as he takes a step toward him. 

Archie stares back for a moment before he lets go of the tension with a small shake of his head. 

“Not worth it. Plus I don’t want to have to explain your black eye at lunch tomorrow,” he says finally, shoving past Jughead toward the door. 

“What are you talking about?” Jughead asks. 

“As long as everything goes good with her and Betty, Veronica wants the four of us to have lunch tomorrow,” Archie explains. 

“I have work.” Is all Jughead says. 

“Perfect. You’ll already be here then,” Archie says. With that he leaves, the door behind him swinging closed. 

Jughead feels angry and on edge and before he can stop he’s slamming his fist hard into the counter. Archie has always been overly optimistic, never afraid of going after he wants and almost always going above and beyond when it came to achieving what it is he set out to do. He had what Jughead would consider a damn near perfect upbringing, even if you take into account his parents divorce and his dad’s cancer. They still did holiday’s together and had monthly family dinners until Archie moved out to LA. 

Jughead on the other hand is used to nothing but disappointment. He didn’t grow up wanting anything because he knew from the start how that would end. Even as an adult he tries hard to keep his wants and hopes in check, never dreaming beyond the realm of possibility. Maybe that was playing it safe, but for his own sanity and sobriety it’s what he needed to do. 

He hasn’t thought too hard about what was happening between him and Betty or what would happen when it was time for her to go back home. In truth Manhattan is only about a three hour car ride away and if he had to do long distance, he would. He knows he wants Betty in his life, in whatever capacity she’s willing to give, but to go as far as asking her to move back to Riverdale seems wildly out of bounds. She’s made a life for herself and it’s not his place to come in and disturb that. Not to mention, if it didn’t work out, he’d never be able to forgive himself. 

_ Meant to be _ , the words Archie used to describe him and Betty play on a loop in his head as he stomps around the diner, busying his hands with cleaning and organizing. Archie  _ would be _ naive enough to believe in something like fate and put his whole trust in it. Jughead knew better. Meant to be or not, it wasn’t that easy. Archie and Veronica have had a whole year to work through the bullshit that Archie had caused all those years ago. Betty has only been back in Riverdale a little under two weeks and Archie expects Jughead to just what? Ask her to stay? To move in with him? Start a life with him? He scoffs at all of those ideas. 

The bell above the door chimes signaling the arrival of customers and he welcomes the distraction. It would be another four hours before time to close up and head home, where Betty would probably be waiting for him, and he didn’t want to be in this mood when that time came. 

__________________

The smells of garlic chicken and roasted red peppers fill the apartment as Betty dances around the kitchen to the sounds of some folk singer singing about life on the road and falling in love. She feels light as she moves from the stove to the counter, cutting up vegetables and potatoes to roast. 

The afternoon had been filled with a number of the surprises, the most surprising of course being the revelation of Veronica being pregnant. The second she watched Veronica’s hand settle on her belly she knew. She felt nothing but joy for her friend, the tears falling from her eyes yet again, but for a totally different reason. The image of Veronica holding a little baby with her eyes and Archies red hair making her heart swell. They will make great parents. 

Of course, Veronica had been hesitant to tell her about her plans to move back to Riverdale, something Betty understood. It made sense though, for all it’s skeletons in the various closets of their life, Riverdale was a perfectly good place to raise a child and have a family. Before leaving the Pembrooke she had assured Veronica many times over that she was happy and excited for her. 

The timer on the oven dings, letting her know it’s preheated, so she moves the trays of chopped sweet potatoes and various vegetables into the oven. Before coming back to Jughead’s apartment she had made a stop at the store, wanting to cook him dinner as a way to thank him for letting her stay there. She’s sure that Archie told Jughead the good news and couldn’t wait to gush about it all with him. 

As she moves around the kitchen she’s reminded of the night she had found Jughead home alone at the trailer, attempting and failing at cooking pasta. 

_ Smoke floats from the door of the trailer as Betty approaches, a bag of groceries in hand. Since FP took off she’s taken it upon herself to make sure Jughead’s small kitchen stays stocked with at least the bare minimum to get by. She knows the small amount of money he gets from doing whatever it is he does for the Serpents goes toward paying the rent on the trailer so she uses part of her paycheck from Pop’s to help him out.  _

_ “Jug? Everything okay?” Betty asks, waving a hand in front of her face to clear the smoke as she makes her way into the kitchen.  _

_ Jughead is standing at the sink with the water running into a pot, his t-shirt pulled up over his nose to shield him from the smoke.  _

_ “What did you do?” she asks.  _

_ “I was trying to make pasta but I guess I didn’t use enough water or I left it to long, I don’t know,” he says, shrugging.  _

_ She peaks into the pot to see a wad of charred and burnt noodles, stuck to the bottom. She shakes her head, reaching past him to turn the water off. With a gesture of her hand she shoos him away. Holding his hands up in surrender he goes and sits at the small table.  _

_ “Well this is garbage,” she says depositing the entire pot into the garbage after making sure it wasn’t hot anymore.  _

_ “Hey that’s like my only pot,” Jughead argues.  _

_ “I’ll get you a knew a one. How about some chicken with rice and vegetables?” Betty asks.  _

_ Jughead crinkles his nose. “How about we got to Pop’s and get some burgers?”  _

_ “Jughead Jones you can not live off of burgers and fries alone. You need vegetables and grains. I’m making dinner. No argument. Go play video games or whatever a teenage boys like to do,” she says, shooing him away again.  _

_ “Well what teenage boys really like to do requires some privacy but if you insist,” he says wagging his eyebrows.  _

_ “Oh my god ew, shut up, you know what I meant,” she says shaking her head, her cheeks burning hot.  _

_ Jughead laughs as he walks into the living room. She turns her focus back to the task at hand, chopping veggies, finding another pot for the rice, and seasoning the chicken. She enjoys cooking, it’s a good distraction from everything that goes on in her head and keeps her hands busy.  _

_ With the water for the rice starting to boil, she pours in two cups, adding a little seasoning for taste. She continues on placing the chicken in the pan and the veggies in the oven when she hears the all too familiar click of a camera. She turns to find Jughead snapping away from the cut out above the sink that peers into the small living room.  _

_ She sticks out her tongue and rolls her eyes and he just keeps snapping away. Next she makes a funny face, sticking a finger in each side of her mouth and stretching it out as she crosses her eyes. He laughs slightly but keeps shooting, using his left hand to adjust the focus and zoom. She turns around and peers at him over shoulder arching an eyebrow before she tucks her upper lip up giving the illusion she has bucked teeth and crosses her eye. This causes him to laugh harder, faltering with the shutter release button.  _

_ “Quality content you’re capturing there,” she says through a laugh, turning back to the dinner she’s cooking.  _

_ “I like it well enough,” he replies softly and the ever present butterflies in her stomach take flight as a small smile forms on her face.  _

Betty smiles to herself at the memory. A happy moment among all the bad ones during that time of their lives. 

She is just plating the last bit of food when Jughead walks through the door, looking tired and worn down. She wants to walk over to him and wrap herself all around him, kiss away the stress of the day, but that feels too domestic and even though she just cooked him dinner, they aren’t there yet. 

“Hey welcome home,” she says standing behind the island, her hands wringing in front of her. 

“Hey,” he replies sounding less than thrilled. 

“I uh, I cooked dinner. I just figured it’s the least I could do to say thank you for letting me stay here,” she explains gesturing to the plates in front of her. 

He eyes them briefly, giving her a half smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “Thanks. I’m gross so I’m going to shower,” he says before walking off down the hall. 

Betty stands there for a long moment precessing what just happened. She knows he’s probably tired, just the four hours she had worked with him earlier that day had her exhausted but there was more to it. His eyes never met hers and he seemed distant. She shakes her head, deciding she won’t read to much into it, and pops both plates into the microwave. She grabs herself a soda before going and plopping down on the couch, figuring she’ll just watch some TV while she waits. 

It’s an hour later when Jughead returns, his hair wet, a pair of jeans hanging low on his waist and no shirt. It takes more effort than it should for her not to look him up and down but she manages, only sneaking a small glance at the trail of hair that disappears beyond the waistband of his pants. He’s so hot it should be illegal she thinks. 

“I put dinner in the microwave,” she says getting up to join him in the kitchen. 

“You didn’t have to wait, you could have eaten without me,” he says grabbing his plate from the microwave, not bothering to heat it up before walking past her to the living room.

Betty counts to ten in her head, trying to reason with herself as to why he’s acting like this. It doesn’t work though and before she knows it she’s stomping over to where he’s sitting on the couch. 

“What’s wrong with you?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

“Excuse me?” Jughead replies looking up at her. 

“You’ve had an attitude ever since you walked in the door. I know you’re exhausted but there’s more, what’s going on? Talk to me,” she says, softening her tone a bit. 

“There’s nothing going on. Can’t a man just come home from work and eat in silence?” he says turning his focus back to the tv. 

Betty blinks a few times as if unable to believe what she’s just witnessed. This is not the same Jughead she left this after noon. Something must have happened between then a now. Suddenly it hits her, Archie had to have told him about Veronica. 

“I take it Archie told you about Veronica being pregnant and wanting to move back to Riverdale,” she says taking a seat next to him on the couch, her diner long forgotten in the microwave. 

He looks at her for a moment, his eyes wide and she thinks this must be it but before she can react he turns back to the TV, his shoulders hunched in defense just as they had been. 

“Yeah. Good for them,” he replies taking a bit of the chicken. 

She leans back a bit, completely stunned at the way he’s acting. Maybe she had been off base but a part of her really thought he’d be excited. With Veronica moving back to Riverdale it seemed like a no brainer that she would too. Veronica even said she could move in with her and Archie or rent an apartment at the Pembrooke for nothing. It was all Betty could do to keep herself from thinking about it all afternoon. 

Betty eyes the remote on the table for a moment before grabbing it and turning off the TV. Jughead’s head instantly snaps toward her in question. 

“What are you doing? I was watching that,” he says reaching for the remote. 

She holds up out of his grasp and his eyes grow wide as if he’s unable to believe what she’s doing. 

“No. There’s something else going on here and you’re not getting this back until you talk to me,” she says standing, still holding the remote above her head. 

“You’re acting like a child,” he mutters getting up and walking to the kitchen. 

Betty follows close behind as he drops his plate in the sink, food and all, before turning to the fridge to look inside. 

“So glad you enjoyed the dinner I cooked for you,” she says tossing the remote on the counter. 

“Why are you here Betty? If you and Veronica made up can’t you go back to the Pembrooke. It’d be nice to have a little privacy,” he says slamming the door to the fridge. 

The sound makes her jump slightly, something he seems to notice. She stares past him, letting his words sink into her bones. It’s history repeating itself and suddenly she’s eighteen again, back in the Blue and Gold office, Jughead telling her to leave. Somewhere deep down she knows he’s being a coward, pushing her away because he’s scared, but she doesn’t care. She doesn’t have the strength to beg him again. 

Turning on her heel she quickly makes her way down the hall into his bedroom. She gathers the clothes she’s kept in a neat pile, stuffing them into the backpack she had used to bring her things over. Wiping the tears falling from her eyes she turns to head to the bathroom only to be met with Jughead standing at the doorway watching her with a panicked look on his face. 

“Betty wait,” he says but she ignores him, pushing past him into the bathroom. 

She grabs the small amount of toiletries she had packed, shampoo, conditioner, her tooth brush, before turning back, moving past him yet again into the bedroom. 

“Betty come on, stop,” he says grabbing the book bag and moving it behind his back. 

She doesn’t look up at him afraid that if she meets his eyes she’ll fall apart and she doesn’t want to fall apart. Not yet at least, not in front of him.

“It’s fine. You’re right, it’s your apartment and there’s no reason for me to be here now,” she says trying to keep her voice as steady as possible, struggling to blink away the tears.

“That’s not true and you know it,” he pleads his hands reaching out for her. She steps back and he quickly drops his hands. 

“Well it’s what you just said, so,” she chokes out. 

He’s still holding her bag behind his bag while she struggles to keep it together, still not looking up at him. It’s like a game neither one of them will ever win; she pulls, he pushes and when she gives in he pulls and it’s tiring. She loves him but it’s been five years and she can’t go through this again. 

“Betty please,” he says, his voice so soft and pleading she can’t help but look up. 

His face is twisted with a mix of panic and pain and it breaks her heart, a small sob escaping her throat. Jughead reaches out for her again and this time she doesn’t move, letting his hand rest against the side of her face. She leans into his touch as she watches his shoulders rise and fall with relief, her bag hitting the floor behind him as he brings his other hand up until he’s cradling her face between the two, his eyes searching hers. 

She brings her hands up to grip his wrists as he rests his forehead on hers. 

“I’m sorry,” he whispers. 

She knows logically he means he’s sorry for the way he’s acted tonight, but there’s an edge to his voice that makes her think, without saying it, that he’s also saying sorry for before. For when he left her that morning after taking her virginity. For telling her to go when she desperately wanted him to ask her to stay. Unable to respond with words she swallows hard and shake her head. 

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” he says it over and over again as his lips kiss her forehead, then her cheek, finally landing on her mouth. 

She cries out when they break apart and his mouth lands on her neck, sucking roughly at the pulse point. Before she knows it he’s lifting her up and carrying her to his bed. When he lays her down, he brings his lips back to hers, dipping his tongue into her mouth urgency. Her hands find and tug at his hair, pulling him closer while her hips instinctively rock against him. 

Their kiss is salty and she’s not sure if it’s his tears or hers but it doesn’t seem to matter. He breaks the kiss again to trail hot kisses down her neck and over her collar bone. He pulls on the hem of her shirt and she lifts slightly, allowing him to pull it up over her head. He settles back down with his mouth on the swell of her breast while she reaches around and unhooks her bra. When it’s done, he hooks a finger in the front, moving it off of her with ease and throwing it to the side. His tongue finds the taught flesh of her nipple, flicking it over a few times before biting gently, a sensation she feels right at her core. 

She bucks and moans, needing some kind of friction. Needing him inside her. 

“Jughead please,” she begs him, just as he did her, moments ago. 

He’s quick to respond, unbuttoning her shorts moving them down her legs along with her underwear. She sits ups then, doing the same to his jeans and boxers, pushing them down his legs as far as he can before laying back again. He kicks them off and them settles himself between her legs again, his hardened length nudging at her opening. 

Peering down at her, his face still wet with tears, he searches her eyes for for approval, moving a loose strand of hair from her forehead. 

“Betty,” he says in the softest whisper. 

It’s unbelievably intimate given their current state and what went down only moments ago and she has to blink away tears, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Jughead who seems to almost panic, pulling away slightly. 

Betty shakes her head quickly bringing her lips to his trying to pour as much of herself as she can into it. She wants this, she wants him, even if she cries the whole time knowing they will never be what she wants, she wants what he can give her right now. 

A moment later he sinks into her and she arches her back at the feeling of being so full. He moves slowly but with force, each thrust of his hips sending him deeper and deeper. Betty’s hands grip his biceps, her fingers splayed out over the poorly drawn Serpent as she closes her eyes. 

“Look at me,” he chokes out and her eyes snap open, meeting his. 

He holds her gaze like that as he continues his punishing pace. She moans and writhes beneath him but never tears her eyes away. It’s only when he moves moves a hand between them and begins to circle her clit in a fast steady rhythm that she starts to lose her composure, her moans and cries growing in volume. 

She feels herself moving closer and closer to the edge as his hips and fingers pick up pace.

“Oh god, fuck. I’m going to cum,” she cries out, squeezing her eyes shut in ecstasy. 

“Betty please look at me,” he says again only this time it’s more of a plea. She does as he asks, her green eyes meeting the storm in his blue ones. “I love you,” he says through a shaky voice as she watches a tear roll down his cheek. 

She falls apart a moment later, with him not far behind, crying out her name. She whispers ‘I love you’, soothing her hands over his back, as they both come down from their orgasms. 

After taking care of the necessary post-coital things, they crawl back into bed together not bothering to get dressed, and wrap themselves around each other. There’s no words spoken between them and Betty wonders if it will always be like this for them. For a moment she feels almost jealous of Veronica and Archie and their ability to take something once so broke and turn it into what it is now. For possibly the first time ever she doesn’t know if her and Jughead will ever be able to do that. 

Betty wakes up the next morning before sunrise feeling sticky and sore. Jughead is rolled away from her and she takes the opportunity to sneak out of bed, grabbing her clothes and bag on the way out of the room. In the back of her mind she knows it’s unfair, to leave him like this, in the same way he did her all those years ago, but she’s not sure she has a choice. 

After she’s dressed she makes her way out of the apartment, down to the street. It’s not even 5am and the streets are quiet and dark still, the sun not having begun it’s decent over the horizon yet. The Pembrooke isn’t far from here, just outside of Downtown Riverdale, so she heads in the direction, while she checks her phone. 

As she walks along the tree lined streets she wraps her arms around her, not because she’s cold, but because she’s afraid if she doesn’t she will fall apart. For better or worse she will always love Jughead, but if last night proved anything to her, maybe love just isn’t enough. She couldn’t be with someone so hot and cold, so unsure of what they wanted and so easily able to change their mind. It’s ironic, she thinks, that in truth she can’t be with anyone else either, she’s tried. 

Throughout college she met people, went on dates, had casual sex, did everything a girl in this century should do while in college yet none of it felt right. She would leave dates that went absolutely perfect feeling empty. She’d wake up the next morning after sleeping with someone needing to take three showers before she felt okay in her own skin again. None of those guys had been anything less than perfect gentlemen, but it didn’t matter. They weren’t Jughead. 

She turns the corner onto the street the Pembrooke is on and tries to make sense of the last two weeks. Maybe her and Jughead were too much. Perhaps the fire burned to hot for either of them to get close enough to make something together. She thinks about Veronica and Archie, back in highschool and how they couldn’t keep their hands off each other, clearly not phased by the heat of the fire. 

She reaches the front door to the Pembrooke and takes a deep breath, knowing the minute she’s behind the closed door of the guest bedroom she’s going to fall apart. Through the entire elevator ride she bites her lip, trying to quell the rising melt-down in her gut. The doors open and she nearly bolts through them, quickly pulling her keys out to unlock the door to Hermione's apartment. 

Once inside she makes a b-line to the guest bedroom. 

“Betty?” 

The soft sounds of Veronica’s voice stop her in her tracks. She’s standing in the kitchen, glass of water in hand, wearing a blue silk robe, sleep heavy in her eyes. 

“What, what are you doing here?” she asks, having assumed she’d be staying at Fred’s with Archie. 

“My bed is bigger, so Archie stayed here tonight. Are you okay?” Veronica asks and before Betty can lie, she breaks. 

Veronica quickly makes her way over to Betty, wrapping her arms around her tightly as the sobs roll through her body. She doesn’t press her or ask her to explain, she just holds her, rubbing small circles on her back just as Betty had once had to do for her. 

When the sobbing dies down a bit, Veronica moves them over to the couch, where she lets Betty rest her head in her lap. 

“It’s never going to work,” Betty cries as Veronica moves her fingers through her hair. 

“What’s not going to work baby?” Veronica asks softly. 

“Me and Jughead,” she responds quickly before another round of sobs takes over her body. 

She can’t seem to stop them, the crying, the rocking of her body, so instead she lays there with her head in Veronica’s lap letting her friend comfort her as she lets out all the pent up emotion from the last five years, like water rushing through a broken damn. 

At some point she falls asleep, Veronica’s soft shushing lulling her into a restless sleep, where dreams of what could have been haunt her. 

 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys, we are ALMOST done! This the second to the last chapter and I promise I don't plan on making you wait long for the next one AT ALL! 
> 
> Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta!

The sweet smell of maple-glazed bacon fills the air around her and Betty stretches her arms and legs out wide, taking the deepest breath she possibly can, before she promptly hits the floor. She jolts awake, sitting up, momentarily confused by her whereabouts. She’s currently sitting on the floor in the living room of the Pembrooke. It comes back to her quickly when the throbbing inside her head starts. That, mixed with the feeling of crusty puffy eyes are all the reminder she needs about last night, when she fell apart in Veronica’s arms, eventually falling asleep on the couch. 

“You okay down there?” 

Looking up she finds Archie standing above her in nothing but a pair of low hung plaid pajama pants, mug of coffee in hand, his fire engine red hair sticking out in odd directions all over his head. 

“I’m just swell,” she says, making her way to her feet. 

“Here.” He extends the arm holding the cup of coffee out, offering it to her, and she takes it with gratitude. 

“Thanks,” she says following him over to the kitchen. 

Behind the island, Veronica, still her in her blue robe, is cooking what smells like the most delicious breakfast ever. It’s been a while since Betty has been privileged enough to enjoy a Veronica Lodge style breakfast, with maple-glazed bacon, pounds of scrambled eggs, chocolate chip pancakes, and of course, mimosa’s, though she’s sure given Veronica’s current state, the mimosa’s have been reduced to simple orange juice. 

“Good morning sleepy head,” she chirps cheerfully, popping a small strip of bacon into her mouth as Archie comes around behind her, his hands easily finding her belly, already fully comfortable with the idea of impending fatherhood. 

Betty takes in the sight, half expecting the edge of jealousy she had felt last night to creep in, but it never does. Veronica looks happier than she has in years and it suddenly dawns on Betty that, given some hindsight, she should have known something was going on with Veronica for a while now. 

_ The hot midday sun beams down hard on Betty’s back as makes the four block walk from her office to the apartment she shares with Veronica in Manhattan. Of course, her office is really just a small hole in the wall coffee shop that serves the best cinnamon buns in the city. She hasn’t quite earned an actual office, or even a desk for the matter, at the news magazine she’s been working at since she graduated Columbia, not that she minded much. The coffee shop worked just fine and when it was too crowded and noisy there was always the hipster vegan place down the road a bit, or her apartment, or if she was desperate she could uber over to Veronica’s boutique and commandeer her office for a day.  _

_ She’s wearing a simple pair of denim shorts and a white cotton t-shirt, that feels like it’s sticking to her in all the wrong places. That’s one of the other benefits of not working in an office, she could wear whatever she wanted.  _

_ Her apartment comes into sight and she breaths a small sigh of relief thinking about stripping down to her underwear and laying in the middle of her bed with the fan blowing on her. It’s only the beginning of June but it’s already ridiculously hot. She thanks her lucky stars her and Veronica aren’t still stuck in that too small dorm room at Columbia with it’s terrible air conditioning.  _

_ Once she reaches her stoop she climbs the stairs two at a time, unable to quell her excitement. Having finished her article already, she had the rest of the day off and she planned on doing absolutely nothing with her time.  _

_ She bypasses the broken elevator and takes the stairs to the fifth floor, panting as she makes her way down the hall to her apartment. As she takes out her keys she realizes the music she hears is coming from her apartment, so she turns the knob slowly, and sure enough it’s unlocked.  _

_ Inside, Veronica is swaying to an upbeat song sung in spanish, a glass of her favorite red wine in hand, while she moves something that smells like pure heaven around in a pan. Betty leans back against the closed door, catching her breath and taking in the sight of her best friend, who looks happier and more at ease then she has in possibly years.  _

_ Cooking has always been something Veronica is exceedingly good at, but also only something she did when she was in the best of moods. Right after she made the decision to drop out of Columbia and open B&V’s Boutique she cooked Betty one of the best meals she’s ever eaten.  _

_ “What are we celebrating?” Betty asks, making her way over the small open kitchen, dropping her bag on the couch as she passes.  _

_ Veronica, having not heard Betty come in, jumps a little in surprise, her red wine splashing onto her hand.  _

_ “Shit. I didn’t even hear you come in,” she says, turning and lowering the volume on the small bluetooth speaker. “And no celebrating. I’m just, in a good mood so I figured I’d cook,” she says, her eyes not meeting Betty’s.  _

_ There’s a small shy smile on her face and Betty wonders if maybe she’s met a guy. Rolling her eyes she dismisses the feeling of wanting to press Veronica for the chance to take a nice cool shower and relax.  _

_ By the time she’s showered and changed and completely cooled off the food is done and plated. Betty never gets a chance to grill her friend, as Veronica immediately launches into a story about a group of rich white women who came into the store earlier that day. The two girls spend the rest of the night drinking wine and laughing and Betty grows to not care about who or what it was that put Veronica in such a good mood, just simply grateful that they did.  _

“Good morning,” Betty says taking a seat at the small island. 

She reaches across the island to snag a piece of bacon but is swatted away by Veronica. “Not yet.” 

“You just ate a piece!” Betty protests, almost pouting. 

“Yes well I’m the cook and growing a tiny parasite inside my body. I believe I earned the right to nibble,” she replies dryly. 

“Ronnie I thought we agreed you would stop calling our baby a parasite,” Archie says looking exasperated. It’s clear to Betty they’ve had this conversation before. 

“Yes, you’re right, sorry,” Veronica says easily, rolling her eyes the minute Archie turns away, even though there’s still a smile on her face. 

Veronica begins plating all of the food, dumping the extra’s into small bowls before handing it all to Archie to set on the table in the dining room. Betty watches them move in easy domestication, giving each other small shy smiles. Archies eyes seem to constantly linger down to Veronica’s belly as if he’s trying to witness the minute it starts to grow. Betty smiles as she pictures a little girl or boy with Veronica’s intense eyes and Archies red hair. 

They are just about to sit down when there is a soft knock on the door. 

“You two sit, I’ll get it,” Archie says, disappearing into the main room. 

The two girls sit across from each other, waiting patiently for Archie to return. 

“Are you okay?” Veronica asks, reaching a hand across the table and placing it on Betty’s. 

Her initial instinct is to say “I’m fine” even if it isn’t the truth, but when she opens her mouth, nothing comes out. 

A moment later Archie comes walking back into the room wearing an expression that seems like a mix of concern and struggle, trailed by Jughead who simply looks distraught. Betty feels her whole body go stiff and she has to swallow hard to remind herself to breath. 

Jughead looks like he’s about to ask Betty something when Veronica stands up. 

“Jughead! Come, sit. We’ve got more than enough food! Archiekins, why don’t you go fetch Jughead a plate,” she says with a smile on her face. 

Jughead and Archie both look between Veronica and Betty, as if searching for some kind of approval. Betty doesn’t say a word, instead turns her attention to her plate where she shovels in a rather large bite of eggs. This seems to be answer enough, because Jughead makes his way to the chair next to Betty while Archie disappears again. 

“Betty we need to talk,” Jughead says quietly as he pulls his chair out. 

“So, Jughead! We haven’t gotten a real chance to talk since the night of your show. I’ve dying to talk to you about the pictures!” Veronica says before she can even think about opening her mouth to respond, and Betty shoots her the most appreciative look she can muster. 

“Uh, yea. Thank you for coming.” Is all he manages to say as Archie returns, placing a plate, a fork, and a mug off black coffee in front of him before taking his seat. 

“Yea Jug those photos were incredible. I mean, I know you sent me a lot of them, but seeing them like that, incredible,” Archie says, beaming with pride and Betty can’t help but smile. 

“Thank you Archie, that means a lot.” There’s an edge to Jughead’s voice as it cracks, like he’s holding back tears. 

As Jughead dishes himself food Veronica launches into a story about a photographer she hired to take pictures of the clothes at the boutique and how terrible that experience was. Betty is unbelievably thankful for Veronica’s ability to take a five minute story and embellish it long enough that it takes up the remainder of the time they spend eating. She’s so good, that not once does Betty or Jughead or even Archie for that matter have to say another word for the next twenty minutes. 

It’s not until Veronica suddenly goes silent that Betty even looks up. Veronica’s face is a shade of green that Betty instantly thinks is terribly unflattering and she’s focused hard on something in front of her, her left hand hovering over her mouth. 

“You okay Veronica?” Jughead asks from beside her, clearly noticing the sudden change as well. 

This must knock Archie out of whatever trance he had put himself in while Veronica was talking but he’s up and out of his seat faster then what seems humanly possible. Before she knows it Veronica is hurling into a bucket Archie seems to have procured from thin air, retching up every last trace of the breakfast she had just eaten. 

“Oh my god,” Jughead says and Betty turns to find him staring eyes wide, taking on a similar shade of green. 

She’s never had a sensitive stomach, nor was she ever particularly squeamish, but Jughead has always been the type to get sick at the sight of someone else getting sick or something equally gross. In the fifth grade when Ethel Muggs projectile vomited spaghetti across the room Jughead responded with lightning speed by doing the same, which then created a chain reaction of every other kid with a weak stomach doing the same. Betty and Archie had been the only ones unaffected by the scene. 

Not wanting a repeat of the scene from fifth grade, Betty gets to her feet taking Jughead by the hand and dragging him into the guest room. She forces him to sit down on the bed and place his head between his knees. 

“Just breathe, think about something that doesn’t make you feel sick,” she says rubbing his back, ignoring the way his muscles feel under her hand. 

He doesn’t say anything, just focuses on steadying his breath as she continues to soothe him. A few moments later the bedroom door slowly creeps open and Archie stick his head through. 

“Is he okay?” he asks wearing an apologetic expression. 

“I think he’ll be fine,” Betty says reassuringly. 

“I’m so sorry about that. Her morning sickness seems to come on suddenly and without much warning. I learned the hard way last week when she vomited all over-”

“Oh god,” Jughead says, cutting Archie off and making a beeline for the bathroom attached to the guest bedroom. A moment later he’s spilling his guts into the toilet. 

“Seriously Archie, you know he’s got like the most squeamish stomach ever,” she says making her way into the bathroom. 

She vaguely hears Archie apologize and close the door as she kneels down next to Jughead, removing his beanie and sweeping the hair falling in front of his face back. He adjusts his position, laying his head on his arm, which is resting on the side of the toilet. 

“I’m sorry,” he says, his eyes still closed.

“It’s okay. It’s not really your fault,” she says shrugging her shoulders as she grabs a washcloth and wets it under the faucet. 

“No not for this. Well, I mean I’m sorry for this too, but for everything else. For leaving like that all those years ago. It was wrong. So unbelievably wrong and I’m so sorry. When the room stops spinning and my stomach is done emptying itself I’d like to explain myself if that’s okay,” he says, peaking one eye open up at her. 

She blinks away the tears that are trying to escape her eyes as she nods, afraid to actually open her mouth and say anything. If he didn’t look so sad and pathetic, lying there on the floor of the bathroom with his head propped up on the toilet, she might be able to summon some amount of anger toward him, but as it stands she just feels sad. 

An hour later, with Jughead’s stomach thoroughly emptied and Veronica safely tucked away in her room, Betty suggests they go for a walk, stating that the fresh air might do him some good. They walk in silence for a bit until they reach a small open area of grass that has a path that Betty knows leads down to the river where her and Veronica used to spend many of their summer days. It’s a nice day, the sun beaming warm, the breeze feeling good on her skin and she feels like maybe sitting, looking out onto the river might be exactly what she needs. 

Jughead doesn’t question it when she leads him into the woods, just simply follows in silence and Betty is thankful for that. She knows they need to talk, she wants to talk, but after last night and the unexpected events of this morning, she also wants to just  _ be _ . 

The path through the woods is short and they come out onto a sandy bank against the river. 

“Wow, how did I never know this was here?” Jughead asks, sitting down next to Betty.

She kicks off her sandals, burying her toes is the warm sand. “This used to be mine and Veronica’s secret tanning spot. When you and Archie would be off playing video games all day we would come here and tan and swim,” she explains, leaning back tilting her head up to the sun. 

“If I remember correctly, before Veronica came along you’d be right there playing video games with us,” he says, nudging her a bit with his shoulders. 

She smiles because it’s true. Back before high school, her, Archie, and Jughead were inseparable. It didn’t matter that they were boys and she was a girl, she was more than happy to play whatever video game they were obsessed with at the time all day with them, crammed into Archies tiny room until Fred or Mary would come upstairs and force them outside for some fresh air. When they weren’t playing video they were riding bikes, splashing in the river, or hiding out in the treehouse Jughead and Archie's dad built in Archie’s backyard for them. 

Life was simple then. Sure, her parents still fought but it was behind their closed bedroom door at a much more respectable volume. Jughead still lived on the northside, in a small house a few streets over, and Archies parents were together and happy. If she really thought about it, there was no indication that the future would turn out the way it did. 

They sit in silence for a long moment, watching the way the sun glistens off the river as it flows effortlessly downstream. 

“Betty,” Jughead finally says after releasing a heavy breath. 

“Jughead,” she says in return. 

“Do you remember Reggie’s party? The first time I got like really drunk?” he asks, looking over at her sideways. 

“Yeah of course,” she replies. She couldn’t forget it if she tried, especially not now with knowledge of it being what was probably the beginning of Jughead’s alcoholism. 

He takes a deep breath, making his fingers dance in the sand in front of him.

“I don’t think it’s really any secret that I’ve loved you since like, forever. I mean even back then, everyone knew we liked each other, they were all waiting, taking bets on who would act first or when we would finally get together,” he says with a bit of a laugh at the last part.

Betty smiles at the thought. It was true, everyone in their grade, and even every other grade knew her and Jughead had had a mutual crush on each other for almost as long as they had known each other. They both knew as well, but neither one of them ever seemed to have the confidence to act on it, not wanting to possibly ruin their friendship. 

“That night, when you were sitting on the counter next to Veronica you looked at me the same way I had seen my mom look at my dad so many times before, with a mix of pity and fear.” He swallows, looking out onto the river like the words he needs to say are dancing along with the glittering light of the sun. “I hate that look. I loath it in fact.” 

“Jughead I never pitied you or feared you for that matter,” she tries to argue, but even as the words leave her mouth she knows they are a lie. 

As time went on and Jughead got older and fell deeper into the black hole that was his life, Betty had seen glimpses of things that scared her. She had shown up to the trailer many times after his dad took off to find him eating stale crackers because there was nothing else and felt pity. 

“You and I both know that isn’t true,” he says, giving her a look that says just that. “That was probably the moment that cemented for me that we would never be together.” 

Jughead’s words feel like ice in her veins and Betty sits up straighter, suddenly feeling defensive and self-conscious. She pulls her knees up to her chest and wraps her arms around them, as though she might literally physically fall apart if she doesn’t. Jughead seems to notice this shift in her demeanor and turns to her suddenly, wrapping his own arms around her and pulling her into his lap. He’s warm and smells exactly like he always does and it’s so comforting she hates it. 

“When you showed up at my trailer that night, the first night we- I shouldn’t have- we shouldn’t have-” he seems to be struggling with how to word what he’s trying to say so Betty stays quiet, letting him work through his own thoughts. “What I’m trying to say is- I shouldn’t have let it get that far. It was a mistake and for that, I apologize.” 

Betty isn’t sure she understands. “Jughead,” she says, pulling away from him a bit to look up at his face. “You mean you leaving the next morning was a mistake, right?” 

“Well yea, that a mistake as well. It was so messed up of me-” he starts but Betty suddenly realizes what he’s trying to say. 

“Wait. Jughead are you...do you regret us? What we did? Losing our virginity to each other?” she asks, searching his face for some trace that she’s wrong. She doesn’t find it. 

“Betty,” he says taking in a deep breath and pulling her closer, like he’s afraid she’s going to run or disappear. “You deserved so much more than a quicky with a alcoholic gang banging teenager in a crappy trailer on a mattress on the floor. I wasn’t good enough, I didn’t deserve-” 

“Oh my god,” Betty says removing herself from his grasp and standing up. “Jughead, have you ever thought, even for once, that none of that mattered to me?” 

He stands up quickly, dusting the sand off his jeans before adjusting his beanie. “It’s not that simple Betty. I was never going to be able to give you the kind of life you deserve.” 

“I’m so tired of hearing about what I deserved! What about what I  _ wanted _ ? Jughead I know you might regret that night, and yes the morning after and the following week are high on my list of least favorite moments in my life, but that night,” she pauses, looking away from him for a moment, “I don’t regret one moment of that night. I lost my virginity to the man I had loved since the day I met him.” 

Jughead has a pained look on his face, like he’s having some kind of internal battle. 

“That day before graduation all I wanted was for you to take me in your arms and beg me not to leave. Maybe if you had you wouldn’t have-” 

“I wouldn’t have become an alcoholic?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest. 

“I don’t know maybe,” she says, not really knowing if it’s true. 

“No Betty. That’s- I would have still become one because I already was one. And if you had stayed, you would have had to see me at my lowest and I would have hurt you and their would have been no coming back from that. Look, I don’t regret that night. That’s not what I mean when I say it was a mistake. What I mean is,” he pauses bringing his hands up to his mouth before dropping them again, “when we were laying there together after, I should have felt happy, and don’t get me wrong I did, but I also- I also wanted nothing more then to have a drink.” 

Betty feels her eyes widen at the admission a bemused look crossing her face. 

“I didn’t just drink to smash down bad feelings. I did it to numb all feelings. Betty I was barely functioning back then and it only got worse. I’m sorry for the way I left you the next morning, and for the way I handled the day before graduation, and I’ll apologize for that for the rest of my life if you’ll let me, but I’m never going to tell you I’m sorry for not asking you to stay. You leaving was the best thing you’ve ever done for yourself.” 

Betty doesn’t know how to respond. She wants to argue every point he’s made but another part of her, the part that sees the hurt in his eyes, the shame, knows that he’s probably right, and that kills her. 

“Is that why you pushed me away yesterday? Because you still think I deserve better or whatever?” she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. 

Jughead sighs, sitting back down on the sand in defeat. “No. Yesterday I pushed you away because I’m an idiot.” 

He reaches up for her, patting his leg and Betty wants to say no, to hold her ground, but before she knows it she’s taking his hand, and letting him pull her into his lap again. He nuzzles into her neck for a moment, before trailing kisses all the way from her neck, to her jaw, finally landing on her mouth. She lets him kiss her, opening for him and melting into the moment. It’s a slow lazy kiss, not heated with need or passion like their last kisses had been, and she can’t help the butterflies taking flight in her gut. By the time he pulls away she feels warm all over. 

“Archie came into the diner not long after you left. He told me about Veronica being pregnant and them moving back to Riverdale and all that. He said how great it would be for you and me because you’d probably move back to and I just kind of... freaked. You worked so hard to get out of this shitty town, away from your mom and dad, and the idea of you moving back here for me just, I don’t know. I acted like a complete asshole yesterday and I’m so sorry for that. When I woke up this morning and you were gone, it was like… it was like all my worst fears had come to life.” 

Betty feels small pangs of guilt, knowing exactly what it’s like to wake up to an empty bed after falling asleep to a full one. In truth, Betty hadn’t thought much about what it meant for her if Veronica moves back to Riverdale. The apartment in Manhattan isn’t exactly cheap and affording it without Veronica wouldn't be plausible. Moving back to Riverdale was something she never thought she would ever consider but now… 

“Would you want me to move back here Jughead?” The words seem to fly out of her mouth without thought. 

Jughead goes still beneath her, swallowing hard. “It’s not that simple Betty. I can’t ask you to do that. It wouldn’t be fair to you,” he says. 

“Stop Jughead. Stop with the bullshit about what I deserve or what’s fair to me. Do you want me to move back here? Do you want to be with me? Do you,” she pauses searching his face, “do you want me?” 

Betty watches as tears well up along the bottom edge of Jugheads eyes as they flit back and forth between her own. His brow furrows, and he clenches his jaw. She can almost see the internal battle happening inside of him, the instinct to pull away, to hide from her, so strong. But she also sees the truth. 

He sighs heavily, his lips parting slightly before he speaks. 

“Betty Cooper, I want you everyday for the rest of my life. I’ve always wanted you. You are… you’re the one.” 

Tears are falling freely from his eyes now and Betty can’t help the ones falling from her own. 

“I love you Jughead Jones,” she says, taking his face between her two hands. 

Before he can respond she crashes her lips into his, pouring every last part of herself into it. It’s salty and rushed, but not like it was yesterday back in his room. This kiss doesn’t taste like goodbye, instead, it tastes  like hope. She doesn’t know if she’ll move back to Riverdale, she doesn’t know if they’ll make it, but she does know that undoubtedly, even if they crash and burn, Betty would rather feel the heat of the flames on her bare skin then feel nothing at all. 

She adjusts her position in his lap until she’s straddling him, her bare knees in the sand. His hands are buried in her hair as he angles her head, deepening the kiss as much as he can, his tongue sweeping over hers time and time again. Betty whimpers at the feel, the warmth spreading from her mouth, through her chest, and settling low in her belly. 

“Fuck, I love you Betty Cooper,” he says finally breaking their kiss as he rests his head on her forehead. 

The words land right in her chest and she wants to keep them there forever, like a lock box of love notes. 

“I want to be with you Jughead. I… I have to be. I’ve spent the last five years of my life trying desperately to find the one thing I was missing. I searched in myself, in other men, in work, and I just couldn’t find it. I couldn’t because it’s right here,” she says, sitting back a bit to place her hand flat on his chest over his heart. “You. You were missing piece this whole time and now that I have you again I can’t ever let go.” 

Jughead’s lips crash into hers one final time and it’s all she can do to keep from begging him to make love to her right here next to the river. His arms are wrapped around her body, holding her and tightly to him as he can and she doesn’t ever want him to let go. She doesn’t know how long they stayed there like that, wrapped up in each others embrace, pouring all they have into those kisses, but right then and there- time didn’t matter much. 

 


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is it guys. This is the end. Seriously I want to thank all of you for sticking with this story. I know it was an angsty one and sometimes difficult to read or get through but I promise you, this chapter will more then make up for all of that. This has been, by far, my favorite piece of writing of mine. I poured so much of myself into this fic and I'm almost a little sad not that it's done! 
> 
> Leave a comment or a review and follow me on Tumblr at detectivesqueegee!
> 
> Also a HUGE thank you to peaceblessingspeyton on Tumblr (or Peyton_0727 here on A03) for being an awesome Beta! Seriously without her I wouldn't have been able to finish this fic!

Jughead has always been amazed by time and the ways in which it passes. The old adage  _ “time flies when you’re having fun” _ has become something Jughead finds to more and more true as time goes on. The five years after graduation seeming to move at a pace only comparable to slow animal, like a sloth or a slug. The five years since Betty came back into his life? They seemed  to fly by so fast it seems like only yesterday she accepted his offer to move in with him. 

Extending the offer wasn't a something he had to think too much on. After all their cards were on the table and Betty had made it abundantly clear that they, that  _ he _ was all she wanted he felt nearly all of his insecurities melt away. 

It was all he ever wanted and he would do everything in his power to make it happen. 

_ Standing in front of the white house with a white picket fence Jughead’s stomach felt uneasy. He had never pictured himself the type to buy a home, let alone one in Riverdale, but here he was, meeting with a realtor. He thinks, maybe, he had only ever rented apartments because there was always an end in sight. Even when he would renew his lease he still knew, if he wanted, he could end it and move on.  _

_ He had plans on asking Betty to move in with him. It comes only a week after their tearful confessions of love and wants and needs and he can’t help it. Now that he has her, he can’t ever let her go.  _

_ He knows, logically, that Betty would be happy no matter where they lived. She already moves around his small one bedroom apartment with ease, her things finding homes in all the appropriate places, like they’d been there all along. But he was already beginning to feel like he had outgrown the small space before she stated staying with him, and he knows, given some time, they would outgrow it together.  _

_ This is what lead him to his venture now. He had already been shown three other houses just today, none of which felt like the one, the one in front of him included. He doesn’t need to even go inside to know it’s perfect cookie cut look isn’t right.  _

_ He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “I don’t think this one is it.”  _

_ “You haven’t even gone inside Jughead,” Veronica says beside him.  _

_ In hindsight, choosing Ethel Muggs as his realtor probably wasn’t his brightest idea. She had gone and gushed to Veronica about Jughead’s plans who then inserted herself into the entire process, even trying to offer him money at one point, which he told was a hard no . _

_ “I don’t need to go inside to know it’s not right,” he replies turning to look around at the street. It was what was considered and up and coming neighborhood in Riverdale, positioned right on border of the north and south. On one side there were homes like the one in front of him, white, newly renovated. On the other were homes that had yet to be touched. From the corner of his eye he spots a large tudor style home. In Riverdale, most of the houses are more of the traditional or colonial style, at least on the northside. Downtown has your standard brownstones and the south has a mix of trailer, ranch style, and row homes. To see a tudor, in the condition it seems to be in, seems like a diamond in the rough.  _

_ “What about that one?” Jughead asks, pointing toward the large home as he begins to walk. _

_ Behind him Ethel pulls something up on her phone, scrolling through a few things before sighing. “It’s out of your price range.”  _

_ “By how much?” he asks.  _

_ By the time he reaches the front Ethel and Veronica are nearly jogging to catch up.  _

_ “By nearly $100,000,” Ethel responds somewhat out of breath.  _

_ “If this is the one, I can always give you the money-” Veronica starts but Jughead holds up a hand to silence him.  _

_ In truth, he knows he can afford it if he really wants to. If growing up poor taught him one thing, it’s how to save, and that he did pretty well.  _

_ The house is large, probably around four bedrooms and Jughead suddenly gets visions of little ones with dark hair and green eyes running around the front yard.  _

_ “This is it, this is the one,” he says turning to Veronica. Her face is a mirror of his, a happy smile taking shape as her hand falls to her stomach.  _

_ “I’ll put in an offer,” Ethel says walking off to make the call.  _

_ Three weeks later Jughead comes home from work and tells Betty to get dressed and drives her across town to the house.  _

_ “What do you think?” he asks her. They are standing in front of the house he now owns, hands linked.  _

_ “I think it's gorgeous and huge. Whose house is this?” she asks turning to him with a bemused expression.  _

_ “Ours.” he replies, a nervous energy in his voice. “I bought it.” _

_ “You bought this house? When? How?”  _

_ “I put in an offer three weeks ago and after some back and forth they finally accepted. We close in two days and then we can start moving in.”  _

_ Betty stares at in him disbelief for a long time and he wishes more than anything he could read her mind. For a split second he thinks she might be mad and wants to kick himself for not considering that she might want to take part in this process but then she smiles. The light from the street lights above catches on a tear falling from her eye and he wipes it away.  _

_ “Why are you crying?” he asks, cupping her face in his palm.  _

_ “You said ‘we’ and ‘ours’. Without any hesitation you said it. You bought this whole house,” she gestures toward the house, “with us in mind. I love you Jughead.”  _

It was one of the moments Jughead wishes he could bottle and relive forever. He hopes after tonight he’ll be adding to that list. 

“Okay so, I’m going to tell Betty we’re going to get mani pedi’s and then you two are going to get to work decorating,” Veronica instructs. 

It’s not lost on him that almost all of his grand gestures have somehow involved Veronica, though he’s not complaining. He wouldn’t say he’s nervous, not exactly, but there’s a shaky energy in his guts that’s kept him from concentrating on anything the past week. 

“You think she has any idea?” Archie asks, taking a seat at the island next to Jughead. While he and Veronica are renovating their house they’ve been living at the Pembrook with their son Frederick. 

“Trust me, she has no idea. If she did, she would have said something to me,” Veronica replies. 

“Are you sure Veronica? I really want this to be a surprise,” he says. 

“Yes I’m sure. Now get out of here. Betty will be here soon and she’ll get suspicious if you are here and not out with Sweet Pea like you said you’d be.” 

“Yea yea,” Jughead says hoping down. “But seriously, I can’t thank you guys enough. This is- it’s huge.” 

Veronica and Archie both smile at him like proud parents and he feels his ears redden. 

“Don’t sweat it man. You’re right this is huge and I’m so happy we get to be a part of it,” Archie says. 

“Uncle Juggie!” Frederick says bursting into the room like the storm he is. Even though he’s nearly 5 years old now and way to big for it, Jughead scoops him up into his arms and hugs the boy. 

“I thought you were supposed to be napping kid,” he says looking over at the boys parents. 

“Napping is for babies. I’m a big kid. I start school next year!” 

“I know dude, you’re huge!” 

Frederick hopes out of Jughead’s arms and stands with his chest out, trying to stretch himself to be as tall as possible and Jughead looks at him like he’s hung the moon and the stars. 

It’s sometimes hard for him to believe how good their lives are now, after everything they have all been through. He often pinches himself to make sure he isn’t dreaming. 

_____

Betty has often wondered about the ways of the universe. She’d never been the type to say  _ ‘everything happens for a reason’ _ , but as she’s grown and lived, she’s come to discover that it seems everything really does happen for a reason, and on it’s own time frame. 

“So have you told him yet?” Veronica’s voice clears the fog in her mind. 

“No not yet. I mean eventually I will. I just… I don’t know. This changes everything V.” 

She’s seated on Veronica’s large sectional sofa, her feet tucked up under her, cradling a warm cup of tea. It’s on the second week of October, but it had been cold from the very start and Betty feels frozen down to her bones, unable to ever really get warm. 

“Well I mean obviously you have to. Unless you don’t of course…” Veronica trails off, the implication of her words clear to Betty. 

“No, no.. I do. Just, I don’t know when. Or how,” she responds, taking a sip of her tea. 

In the last five years her life with Jughead had been what she could only describe as a dream come true. Not only that, being back in Riverdale, living so close to Veronica and Archie, had been what they had all dreamed about. Now she feels nervous about the possibility of any of that changing. 

“Betty, he’s going to be so happy. You know this,” Veronica says and Betty’s eyes latch on the movement of Veronica twirling her engagement ring around her ring finger. It brings Betty back to the night Archie proposed and she can’t help but smile. 

_ Betty is crouched down in a bush next to Jughead. She feels almost giddy, like a teenager again, as she peers through the branches at her two best friends. Tonight, Archie is proposing to Veronica. She’s exactly nine months pregnant, ready to pop any time, and she can’t think of a more fitting time.  _

_ “God I wish he would hurry up already,” Jughead says beside her. They’ve been hiding in this bush for nearly a half hour waiting for Veronica and Archie to arrive.  _

_ Archie had picked this very spot, the riverbank, because he said it’s where he first knew he wanted to marry Veronica, the night they got caught skinny dipping.  _

_ “Shh, they’re here,” Betty says the minute she spot the two of them making their way down the steep riverbank.  _

_ They are hidden well enough that Veronica nor Archie will know they are there, but close enough they can hear everything. Betty had been unable to stop herself after finding out when and where he’d be proposing, and Jughead hadn’t had much choice in the matter.  _

_ “Archie can’t we sit, I can feel my ankles swelling,” Veronica whines. Betty covers her mouth with her hand to keep from giggling.  _

_ “In a minute, I have- I want to-” Archie stutters, the nerves clear as day in his voice.  _

_ Betty feels Jughead’s hand on her knee, his grip tight as they both watch.  _

_ Suddenly Archie is dropping to his knee, a ring he seems to procure from thin air positioned in front of him. Veronica throws a hand over her mouth in disbelief and Betty and Jughead both hold their breath.  _

_ “I’m not greatest with words Ronnie but if there’s one thing I will always know how to say, it’s that I love you. With every bit of myself. So, I’m asking you here and now, will you marry me?”  _

_ Betty wants to scream and jump and squeal but by some miracle she remains silent, steadied only by the strong grip Jughead has on her leg.  _

_ “Archie, I, of course- oh fuck” Veronica’s tone changes drastically and she looks down at herself. From her position Betty can’t exactly see what Veronica is looking at. It isn’t until Veronica lets out a near scream and clutches at her belly that Betty gets it.  _

_ Her and Jughead exchange panicked looks and before she knows it they are both taking off toward Veronica and Archie.  _

_ “What- how did you guys-” Archie’s words are cut off by another scream from Veronica.  _

_ “Jesus,” Jughead says, his eyes focused on the puddle under Veronica’s feet.  _

_ All at once they begin to move, nearly carrying her back to Archie’s truck. The next two hours are nearly a blur. They make it to the hospital just in time for Veronica to start pushing. According to the doctor, the rush of oxytocin from Archie proposing had been all her body needed to jumpstart into labor.  _

_ Frederick Forsythe Andrews was born after only four good pushes. Betty watched as he was placed on Veronica’s sweaty chest, and cried tears of pure joy at the sight of the olive skinned, red haired boy.  _

_ “Yes baby, yes a thousand times over,” Veronica said as an answer to his question.  _

_ She had snuck out then, not wanting to intrude on their personal moment any further.  _

“I’m going to tell him. I just have to find the right time and the right way,” Betty says finally. 

A moment later Archie and Frederick come bursting in the door, giant half eaten ice cream cones in hand and wide smiles on their faces. 

“Hi Aunt Betty!” Frederick says, climbing into her lap. 

“Hi nephew Freddie, can I have a lick of your ice cream?” she asks. 

He nods his head with vigor, promptly offering her the cone. Betty takes ones long lick of the chocolate ice cream, making a show of how good it tastes. This sends Frederick into a fit of giggles and Betty follows along, beaming at her nephew. 

“Well whatever you decide, just let me know so I can hide in the bushes,” Veronica says with the tilt of her head. 

Betty simply rolls her eyes but still smiles. 

“Why are we hiding in the bushes?” Archie asks, plopping down on the couch next to Veronica. Frederick leaves her lap in favor of sitting between his parents and Betty makes it a point to take a mental picture of the beautiful family sitting in front of her. 

“Oh, no reason Archiekins,” Veronica says, shooting Betty a wink. 

Later that day, on her ride home, when she passes by her sister Polly’s house, she almost stops. A small part of her wants to tell her sister, wants to share this with family, when she realizes she already had. 

______

“Hey Tone, you home?” Jughead calls through the screen door of Toni and Cheryl’s home. They live a mere three streets over from Jughead and Betty (as well as Veronica and Archie) and it had been one of his favorite parts about this neighborhood, it’s close proximity to all of his favorite people. 

“We’re back here,” she calls from kitchen. He makes his way through the small house and into the kitchen. Toni and Cheryl had decided a long time ago that they did not want kids and so this house is more than enough for them. 

“Hey guys,” he says to Toni and Sweet Pea who are sitting at the large kitchen table before taking a seat himself. 

“Sup Jones,” Sweet Pea says. 

“Not much. Where’s Cheryl?” he asks. 

“Right here,” Cheryl says making an entrance behind him. “So, are you really doing it?” 

Jughead rolls his eyes and sighs, having had this same conversation with Cheryl multiple times in the last few months. He understands where she’s coming from, he had thought about doing it before and chickened out. 

“Yes Cheryl, for the last time, I’m actually going to do it,” he says with exasperation. 

He’s often wonders how it is that Toni deals with Cheryl, though he knows the answer is simple. She loves her. Still to this day even thinking about their vows brings a tear to his eye. 

_ Nothing Cheryl ever does is  small or understated, and that includes her wedding. The venue is decked out in gothic style decor, hints or red and pink seen everywhere. The bridesmaids, which include Betty, are wearing little black dressed and the groomsmen, which he is a part of, are wearing black suits with pink embellishments.  _

_ Cheryl and Toni are both dressed in white and if he didn’t know them, he’d think this is a scene out of a creepy horror movie. He’s had to listen to Veronica vent about this wedding over the last few weeks but its not until this very moment, standing next to his best friend, who is about to marry the girl of her dreams, that he gets it. This wedding is huge.  _

_ There’s nearly 500 guests in attendance, none of which Jughead knows beyond the first two rows. Cheryl had declared this would be the wedding of the century and she wasn't wrong.  _

_ The officiant begins and when Jughead turns his eyes catch Betty’s. They are already misty and he knows by the end she’ll be a blubbering mess.  _

_ “Cheryl and Toni have prepared their own vows. Toni if you’d like to go first,” the officiant says.  _

_ “Cheryl Blossom, from the day I laid eyes on you I knew my life would never be the same. Most people don’t believe in love at first sight and maybe I don’t either, but let me tell you, you were certainly a sight to see. I told you once that I thought you were sensational, and that thought has never changed. You are the most beautiful, smart, brave, brilliant, person I have ever met. You are the fire that keeps me warm at night. The blanket that holds me. You are the calm, before, during and after the storm. Baby you are the storm. Since the day I met you I’ve never been able to picture my life without and that means something. I can’t wait to be your wife Cheryl Blossom.”  _

_ Toni finishes and the lump in Jughead’s throat grows three sizes. His eyes have already betrayed him, spilling freely, but he’s almost at the point of blubbering when he catches Betty’s eyes again. She, and the rest of the bridesmaids, are all sniffling and holding tissues to their eyes.  _

_ The officiant signals for Cheryl to start and she takes a deep steadying in breath.  _

_ “TT, my rock, my solid ground, my knight in leather and ripped thigh highs. I don’t think I knew what love even was before I met you. It was always this thing I saw other people have, but I could never quite grasp it. Then, like a force to be reckoned with, you entered my life and changed everything for the better. The minute my butt hit the seat of your bike I knew I was in trouble; the good kind of trouble of course. I don’t think I could boil you down to one word. You are stunning, and thoughtful, and way more empathetic than I’d ever be able to be. I love the way you love the people you love, the way you love me, it lets me know everyday how important I am. I only wish to be able to do the same for you; for the rest of our lives TT.”  _

_ Now he was blubbering, down right bawling his eyes out. There’s nothing quite like watching to people you know and love, fall in love. They exchange a tearful kiss and like that, they are married.  _

_ Jughead and the rest of the groomsmen and bridesmaids follow behind them down the isle, everyone wiping their nose and eyes. He links arms with Veronica, she’s the maid of honor and he’s the best man, and they lean into each other, both blubbering like babies. He looks back at Sweet Pea and Betty, doing the same and can’t help but smile.  _

“It’s not even like he can back out now,” Sweet Pea says. 

“Exactly why I dragged all of you into this,” he says pointing to Sweet Pea. “Need to be held accountable.” 

Cheryl rolls her eyes and moves to grab a water from the fridge. In truth, he’d dragged everyone into this because in some ways, they’d all had a hand in it. 

“What about you Sweets, when is it gonna happen for you?” Toni asks. 

“Never,” he replies hoping up out of his seat. “You coming Jones?” 

Jughead laughs and shakes his head. “Yea, yea, I’m coming.” 

______________________ 

Every Wednesday night Betty attends the same AA meeting she had attended with Jughead for the first time nearly five years ago. It had become sort of a tradition for them and even though Jughead tells her every time that she doesn’t have to go, she does. 

She wants to go. She’s learned over the years, both through him telling her, and her listening to other people share their stories that addiction is very much a disease that can’t be cured, but that is ongoing and can be managed. Jughead will be coming up on nearly seven years sober and she’s knows it’s only because of the hard work he puts in. 

Last year he became a sponsor and she watched as imparted all the knowledge he has on addiction and staying clean. It was all things he had already told her, but she would never tire of hearing it. 

_ “Betty I want to talk to you about something.”  _

_ It’s nearly two am and since they got back from the river and they hadn’t let each other go. Betty rolls over onto her stomach, resting her chin on his bare chest as she looks up at him.  _

_ “What’s up?” she asks, trying to read the look on his face but can’t. It’s closed off and almost nervous, which makes her nervous. “What is it Jughead?” She sits up now, pulling the sheet up over her bare chest.  _

_ He does the same, resting his hands on her knees. “I’m an alcoholic.”  _

_ “I, I know that Jug you-” He holds up a hand to stop her.  _

_ “I need to get this all out, so I need you to just- just don’t say anything until I’m done okay?”  _

_ She nods her head in response.  _

_ “I’m an alcoholic. Even though I don’t drink anymore, I’m still an alcoholic. I’m always going to be an alcoholic. That’s never going to change. I will work this program for the rest of my life.” He pauses running a hand through his hair. “There may come a time, in fact, the odds are there will come a time where I fall off the wagon. This could mean I cave and have one drink or I dive and you find my passed out at a bar or on a curb, unable to remember my own name. Either way, I don’t want-” his words cut off suddenly and Betty realizes he might be about to cry.  _

_ She wants to comfort him but doesn’t say anything. Instead, she reaches out and grips his forearms. A silent reminder that she’s here and it’s okay.  _

_ He swallows at the lump she’s sure is in his throat and continues. “I don’t want you to be scared of me. If that ever happens, there’s only one thing I need from you.”  _

_ He looks up at Betty and she can see the seriousness in his eyes. “What is it Jughead?”  _

_ “Call my sponsor. I don’t want you to ever feel like getting my clean is your responsibility, because it’s not. Do you understand?”  _

_ Betty wants to say no. She wants to say she’d stick by his side no matter what, that she’d follow him to the ends of the earth, but she knows that’s no true. She’s seen only small glimpses into what his addiction was like in high school, and in her heart she knows, it’s not something she could ever handle on her own.  _

_ “Okay.”  _

Betty had done her due diligence in educating herself as much as possible on what she should expect from dating an alcoholic. Understanding codependency and how to avoid it seemed important enough that she had began going to Al-Anon meetings, meetings for friends, family, and loved ones of addicts and alcohols. There she’d met so many other amazing people whose lives had been effected by this disease. 

Tonight Jughead was helping a friend celebrate two years sober. He’s standing in front of the room telling everyone how proud he is when her phone vibrates with a text from Veronica. 

**Veronica:** Hey B, mani pedi’s tomorrow. My treat! I’ll pick you up around 3. 

Betty sends a quick reply before turning attention back to Jughead. 

**Betty:** Sure sounds good V, my feet could use it!

When he’s done he returns to his spot next to her and she smiles and leans into is side. 

Later that night after they’ve made love she stares at him for a long time, tracing the lines of his face, trying her best to memorize it all. 

__________

It’s the day and Jughead paces around his kitchen as Archie begins setting up outback. It’s not that he’s nervous, not about her reaction, or any part of it, it’s just that it’s a change and with change comes anxiety, at least for him. 

Betty left with Veronica an hour ago, who promises to keep her out until it’s dark, and everyone else will be there soon. 

“Stop pacing son,” Fred Andrews says coming in from the back yard with Frederick hot on his heels. 

“I’m not pacing,” he lies. 

“Daddy says you are nervous about something. Is that true uncle Jug?” Frederick asks and Jughead knows he’s can’t lie. 

He crouches down until he’s eye level with the boy, who promptly grabs Jughead’s beanie and places it on top of his red mop. “Yes Freddie, I’m nervous about something.” 

This seems to satisfy the boy and he takes off toward the back yard, Jughead beanie still on top of his head. 

“I heard from your father last night.” The words fall from Fred’s mouth and stop Jughead cold in his tracks. 

“And?” 

“He’s doing good. He’s down in Jersey doing some work for a guy I know out there. He’s been clean for a while now Jug. Not as long as you, but…” Fred trails off. 

A year ago Fred finally told Jughead that’d he’d been in contact with his dad. At first he had been angry, but now, after sitting with the feelings and talking them over with Betty and his sponsor, he knows it’s more than that. 

“That’s good Fred,” he says. 

“Here’s his number Jug. No pressure. Just figured you’d like to have it.” Fred slides a piece of paper across the counter toward Jughead and disappears out the back door. 

Jughead stares at it for a beat before picking it up. It feels heavy in his hand, like he won’t be able to hold onto it for to long. He slides it into his pocket, deciding it would be something he’d talk to Betty about later. 

Heading outside he takes a moment to take it all in. All the effort his friends have put in for him, all the time and attention to detail. He check the time on his phone, feels his pocket to be sure, and takes in a deep breath, reminding himself it won’t be much longer.. 

_________

When Betty had agreed to a mani pedi she hadn’t realized she’d agreed to an entire outing with Veronica, dinner included. Though, she’s not surprised. 

They are seated in a booth at Pop’s, a milkshake each, when Betty blurts it out. 

“I’m going to tell him tonight, when I get home,” she says. 

Veronica chokes on a sip of her chocolate milkshake, sputtering the liquid across the table. “You are?” 

Grabbing napkins Betty begins whipping up the mess. “Yes. I won’t be able to not tell him for much longer and now seems like as good a time as any.” 

Veronica seems like she wants to say something, maybe protest, but then her expression changes and Betty is unable to read the meaning behind the gleam in her eye and she takes another long sip of her drink. 

They arrive back at her house a little after eight. It’s dark, the sun having already went down. Betty feels tired and ready for bed, but Veronica insists on following her inside for a celebratory drink, even though Betty herself can’t partake, and she doesn’t have the energy to fight her. 

“Jug? You home?” she calls out dropping her purse on the entrance table and kicking her shoes off. 

The house is dark and empty. 

“Maybe he’s outback? Archie mentioned stopping by later,” Veronica says so Betty walks through to the kitchen. 

She opens the back door and immediately loses her breath. Her tiny backyard is decked out in twinkle light that seem to dangle in the air, held up by nothing more than willpower. There are pink and white roses,  _ everywhere _ and rose petals leading her straight to Jughead. 

From the corner of her eye she sees Veronica sneak off to stand by Archie as her eye travels she sees Cheryl, and Toni, and Sweet Pea, and Fangs, and even Fred and Frederick. She keeps looking and off to the side are Polly and the twins. 

She has no idea what is going on but her feet carry her straight to Jughead. 

“Jug, what is this?” 

______ 

Jughead takes a deep breath, his hands reaching to link them with hers. 

“Betty, I’ve loved you for quite possibly my entire life. I can’t actually remember a time where I didn’t love you.” He pauses to look up her, her eyes searching his for understanding. “When I think about my life and where I want to be and who I want in it, when I close my eyes and try to picture it, all I can see is you. You are the answer to every question I didn’t know needed asking. You are the sunlight that shines in the room every morning. You are  _ my forever _ Betty Cooper. Through everything that we’ve both been through, all the ups and downs, all the good, the bad and the really bad, somehow we managed to find out way back to each other. If that’s not true love, it’s that not meant to be, then I don’t think there is such a thing. If you weren’t standing right in front of me, if I wasn’t able to hold you everyday, I don’t know if I’d believe that happiness, true happiness, was possible.” 

Tears he didn’t know were there fall from eyes, leaving his lips salty. Betty’s mouth is opened slightly, her own eyes red and puffy from crying. He takes another deep breath, reaching into his back packet, and then drops to one knee. 

Betty’s mouth drops further, as she gasps, her eyes widening in some sort of realization. 

“Betty Cooper, there’s nothing more I want in this world then to have you as my partner for now and for always. Will you marry me?” 

There’s a brief moment in which he swears he can hear a pin drop, where everyone has held their collective breath. Betty’s eyes are fixed on his and he can’t look away, not now not ever. 

“Yes Jughead Jones. Yes a million times over,” she finally manages to say and within seconds he’s on his feet pulling her into the tightest hug he’s ever given. They sob into each other’s arms for a moment, their friends and family clapping and sniffling around them before Betty pulls away slightly. 

Wiping at her eyes, she sniffles and rights herself. “Jug there’s something I have to tell you though.” 

A sudden panic fills his chest and he swears his vision blurs for a moment before she lays a hand on his chest to steady him. 

“W-What is it Betty?” he asks suddenly all to aware of all the eyes trained on them. 

He can’t imagine what she’s going to say, good or bad, they have no secrets, or so he thinks. 

He watches her hand on his chest move slowly down in his abdomen before moving through the space between them and landing her her own stomach, her other hand joining. He stares at her hands, at her stomach, and then up into her eyes. 

“I’m pregnant Jughead,” she says finally. 

It takes a solid minute for the words to leave her mouth and land inside the part of his brain responsible for registering information, but when it does, he feels a rush of panic, joy, excitement and sheer terror all balled into one that nearly knocks him on his ass. 

“You’re-” he stops, his hands flying to her stomach, “you’re pregnant? With our baby?” 

Betty nods quickly, smiling through her tears and once again he's scooping her into his arms as their friends clap and cheer around them. 

Fairy tales aren’t real, but that doesn’t mean that true love can’t be beautiful and exciting and everything a person has ever wanted. It’s only when Jughead pulls away, when Veronica has taken Betty in her arms and Archie and Sweet Pea are trapping Jughead in a bear hug that he realizes true loves comes in all forms. 

 


End file.
